A team of doctors in Bradford has been sharing expertise with medics in Mauritius.

Dr Sulleman Moreea, a consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist at Bradford Royal Infirmary, regularly visits the country in his own time to run workshops about gastrointestinal endoscopy.

He has been working with the country’s Prime Minister and Minister for Health to set up five specialised units, with three in place so far.

On his latest visit last month he asked BRI colleagues to join him to widen the knowledge shared.

“Mauritius is a small country and the training is not as good as it is here. When you go to a small country you find people get left behind a bit,” said Dr Moreea.

“The progress has been excellent. From starting in one hospital, we know have three working units with the aim of having five by the end of next year.”

Dr Moreea was able to run four workshops across two hospitals on his last visit, with support from consultant general surgeon Jonathan Robinson, consultant radiologist Andy Lowe and BRI gastroenterology nurse Nemia Domondon, plus two professionals from Portsmouth and York.

“I felt surgeons in Mauritius needed help to push their levels as well,” Dr Moreea said.

“I was sorting all of this [visit] out with the Minister of Health there and we had a fantastic workshop, which raised the bar once more. It was really worthwhile because there was a need for it.

“They’re showing the way forward and planning for their future and they’ve all done it in their own time and free of charge.”

As well as asking work colleagues to support his work, Dr Moreea also has an architect friend working on designs for the country’s first purpose-built gastrointestinal endoscopy unit.

Dr Moreea visits the country every three months and combines his work with seeing family who live there.

“I do this work because I come from Mauritius and I can see that the country needs this kind of help, not because the doctors are bad, but because they need to have the expertise that we have.”