Frontline: Stories of Care and Courage in Emergency Medicine

(Paperback)

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A heroic doctors unflinchingly honest and visceral tale of impossible choices in emergency medicine.

A brilliant insight into the forgotten heroes at the sharp end of humanitarian emergencies. Jon Snow, Channel 4 News

Winner of a Pride of Manchester Lifetime Achievement Award
This is a story of tireless hard work and astonishing bravery.

Tony Redmond has deployed to wars, refugee crises, air crashes, earthquakes, typhoons, volcanoes, and disease outbreaks for over thirty years. Featuring tales of hope and redemption, as well as untold suffering and mismanagement, this raw, honest account could only have been written by someone who has for decades performed incredible feats of altruism.

Frontline takes the reader from the wards of Manchesters Nightingale hospital to Kosovo, from Sierra Leones Ebola outbreak to Lockerbie, and from Haiti to the Philippines. We find its author risking life and limb to help those affected by events beyond their control.

But while humanitarian work and medicine require an innate goodness, not all those involved have benign motives. And saving lives requires difficult choices: between the desire to relieve suffering and the need to weigh up the context. Too often medical aid is found wanting, doing more harm than good.

How are life-or-death choices made in the heat of the moment What are the consequences of your action, or inaction Is it better at times to do nothing How do you live with yourself if you want to help but cant

This is a frank account of the personal toll physical, mental and social emergency medicine levies on those who choose to do it. But ultimately, Frontline offers a tale of optimism, persistence and triumph over adversity, speaking to the resilience and fortitude of those who help and those whose lives they save.

Reviews

A stunning example of humanity in action. Kate Adie CBE

A true Humanitarian. David Nott, author of War Doctor

'A brilliant book by a courageous medic at the perilous forefront of disaster medicine.' Professor Stephen Westaby, author of Fragile Lives

Redmond displays a dogged determination. The impetus for his career in catastrophe has always been the desire to care and to make a difference. The Guardian

Redmond has been shot at, spent months sleeping on floors, seen countless children die and often lived in fear for his own life and that of his team. The Independent

An impressive story of courage and compassion, at great personal risk and cost.' Gavin Francis, author of Adventures in Human Being

The vividly told story of a remarkable man. An inspiring book, full of humanity and goodness. Martin Sixsmith, author of Philomena and The Litvinenko File

Tony Redmonds story of extraordinary bravery and compassion is devastating and inspiring in equal measure. A book of rare insight and candour. Dan Jarvis MP, author of Long Way Home: Love, life, death, and everything in between

'This is the extraordinary story of an inspiring humanitarian. Dr Redmond has shown over decades that with the determination to save and change lives there is no limit to giving and altruism.' Dr Waheed Arian, author of In the Wars

Author Bio

Dr Anthony Redmond OBE was an A&E Doctor for over thirty years and is Emeritus Professor of International Emergency Medicine at the University of Manchester, UK. Founder of the NGO UK-Med, he has also worked with the UN, DFID, and the WHO to delivery emergency care to those most in need around the world. He has, in the course of his work, been subjected to heavy metal poisoning, survived malaria and become temporarily paralysed.