Wing Commander Gora Pathak, Consultant Orthopaedic hand and upper limb surgeon at Boston West Hospital and Fitzwilliam Hospital, paints using water colours, pastels and oils. He has painted over 50 water colours and pastels depicting the journey of a field hospital, capturing the atmosphere of operating, putting up tents and digging trenches.
The paintings were subsequently made into prints and most of them have been sold. The money has gone to the British Legion in Peterborough, SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association) and to the new war memorial in Peterborough city centre. SSAFA used the proceeds to buy wheelchairs and stair lifts for those injured in battle.
This is a cause close to his heart as he served as a frontline military trauma surgeon for 23 years. In his military career, he was deployed with soldiers to war zones and helped set up the first front line hospital in Shaiba outside Basra and had several tours of duty in Camp Bastion and other trouble spots.
Military hospitals are different in intensity to the NHS, with soldiers and local civilians coming in with battle wounds. Mr Pathak advised' we have been able to advance battlefield surgery significantly over the last 15 years with damage control surgery and resuscitation. We managed to extract the wounded from the battle zone to the hospital often as quickly as six minutes with our doctors starting the resuscitation in the helicopter. The lessons learnt have been passed on to the NHS resulting in the creation of Regional Trauma Centres'.
Mr Pathak recently said goodbye to the RAF so that he can focus more on the intricate reconstruction and healing of the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder at Boston West Hospital & Fitzwilliam Hospital.
Wing Commander Pathak said he is 'Inspired by my parents and supported by my family I draw on the inspiration of my teachers and aim to pass on my knowledge. A warm handshake or a grateful smile from a patient spurs me on for the next day'.