A REMARKABLE woman talks about her journey from child refugee to surgeon at Ealing Hospital on BBC Radio London tomorrow (22) at 9.10am.

Sala Abdalla, whose family came to the UK from Sudan, was determined to follow a career in medicine after being moved by the injustices of private healthcare in her homeland.

“We left the Sudan when I was a ten-year-old,” she said, “but it made a real impression on me that, if you didn’t have money, you were often destined to die prematurely of otherwise treatable conditions.

‘Anything is possible if you have the right work-ethic.”

The consultant, who could only speak Arabic when she arrived in London, added: “I sought solace in education and my teachers were extremely supportive. They never doubted I would make it and I owe them a lot of gratitude.”

“My advice to any young woman interested in a surgical career is to never think it is beyond them.

“Surgery is one of the most demanding of medical disciplines, requiring years of dedication, discipline and resilience.

“However, it teaches you to become confident, decisive and an excellent problem solver.”