Surgeon's quake-zone aid mission

Pakistani doctors have had to treat thousands of victims

A north Wales surgeon is about to fly out to Pakistan to help provide aid for earthquake victims.

Tony Da Silva, a general surgeon at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, will spend nine days in the disaster-zone treating people with limb injuries.

He is a part of a team of 12 clinicians being flown to the country from the UK.

Mr Da Silva and his colleagues will be based at the children's hospital in the capital, Islamabad, and at field hospitals throughout the country.

The surgeon told BBC Radio Wales he "could not help be moved" by the images of the disaster he had seen on television.

"It just seemed the local doctors have been so tired treating hundreds, if not thousands, of victims," he said.

"With the realisation that one has the necessary skills to make perhaps a little difference - I had no choice, I had to go."

From the descriptions I've heard unfortunately it appears to be too late for some of the victims Tony Da Silva

Mr Da Silva said a colleague already in Pakistan had contacted him on Thursday to say more medical help was needed urgently.

The consultant is a specialist in vascular surgery - performing bypasses in an attempt to save limbs which do not have enough blood supply because of diseased arteries.

But he told the BBC it would be difficult to help the victims with crushed limbs - many of whom needed surgery two weeks ago.

"I'm hoping that I'll be able to make a little difference if I'm able to perform a bypass to save one or two legs," he said.

"But from the descriptions I've heard unfortunately it appears to be too late for some of the victims."