A MEDICAL student at Fairfield Hospital in Bury has returned from an eye-opening two month placement with leprosy sufferers in Bangladesh.

Clare Miller was studying for her final year at the University of Manchester when the opportunity came up to work in the poverty-striken country.

"I wanted the chance to work in a developing country and when the chance to travel to Bangladesh came up, I just went for it," she explained.

The 23-year-old, from Aberdeen, was based at a small Leprosy Mission hospital in the rural north of the country and spent time in the Dhaka slums.

She assisted in the operating theatres and observed staff in clinics.

She said: "It was an amazing experience and, although I mostly observed due to the language barrier, it was good to see how things are done in a different country. It certainly made me appreciate the NHS!

"Leprosy is a major public health problem in Bangladesh but curable with antibiotics if treated early enough. However, there is still widespread stigma attached and a major education programme is underway."

Clare is currently working on a cardiology placement at Fairfield Hospital before moving to general surgery. After completing her training, she would like to return to one of the developing countries to practice in paediatrics and infectious diseases.