Adelaide doctor Richard Harris at Thai cave rescue was on his holidays when he was asked to help
THE Adelaide doctor assisting in the rescue of the trapped Thai soccer boys — and who is an experienced cave diver and medical retrieval expert — answered the call for help on his holidays, his boss says.
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DR Richard ‘Harry’ Harris is calm under pressure, fit, well-trained and a quiet achiever who answered a call for help while on holidays to help rescue the Thai soccer boys trapped deep in a cave, his boss says.
Associate Professor Andrew Pearce, clinical director of the SA Ambulance Service’s MedSTAR emergency retrieval service, has maintained regular contact with Dr Harris since his mercy dash to northern Thailand where he scuba dived 4km through narrow passages to reach the boys and assessed them as medically fit to attempt the perilous rescue mission.
“He is all right, he said he is doing all right,” Dr Pearce said.
Dr Harris, a specialist anaesthetist since 1998, has worked for MedSTAR for six years as well as in private practice and is Head of Unit Retrieval Coordination.
He is also the medical lead for the SA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force and has been a cave diver for more than 30 years.
In this relatively small international community he was quickly identified as the best person to get to the boys trapped deep underground by water to check their medical condition and prepare them for the hazardous rescue now underway.
Dr Pearce said Dr Harris had no hesitation when asked to help the dangerous rescue mission.
“Harry is selfless, he is extremely thoughtful and a quiet person who doesn’t like talking to the media,” he said.
“He is the type of guy who will give his all — he gave up his holidays to be part of this.
“It is amazing to have someone of his calibre who works here in SA who can do this locally as well as internationally, which was why he was asked to be part of this team.
“He is on the world stage already, it is not something he has learnt overnight.”
Dr Pearce said the local medical community would be watching on in hope as well as pride in Dr Harris’ work, stressing the rescue was far from over.
He also noted the retrieval skills being demonstrated were those used in SA to rescue people from difficult situations, and that staff were regularly deployed overseas — Dr Pearce went to Banda Aceh to help after the tsunami.
“The depth and breadth of personnel we have working in this organisation is fantastic,” he said.
“While Harry is working as part of this mission we have other people deployed on Australian Defence Force missions overseas. I am extremely proud to be clinical leader of that team.”
Dr Pearce will continue to make regular welfare checks on Dr Harris, while SA Ambulance Service is offering support to his family.