Anaesthetist Jim Cooper has seen the horrors of war at first hand in a stint in a Kenyan hospital.

The anaesthetist has just returned from a three-month spell at a Red Cross hospital looking after people injured by bullets, mortar shells, mines or spears.

Dr Cooper, from Westbourne Street, Hove, said: "It was a real eye-opener. I had never seen a gunshot wound but suddenly I was dealing with them all the time.

"It was a horrific scenario to be involved in but, after a while, you just try to ignore what's going on."

Dr Cooper, 39, was with a team of volunteers at Lopiding Hospital, just across the border from southern Sudan.

It was too dangerous to base the hospital in war-torn Sudan itself so the injured were flown across the border by Red Cross and UN pilots.

Civil wars over the past 20 years have cost Sudan tens of thousands of lives.

The hospital was opened in 1987 with 40 beds and has grown to 560 beds, two operating theatres and an intensive care unit.

It is run by local and worldwide Red Cross staff.

Dr Cooper said: "This was my first mission for the Red Cross and there was a good camaraderie between staff."

The ever-present danger was brought home to Dr Cooper when one of the Red Cross pilots was killed while flying over Sudan.

He said: "It affected everyone at the hospital. It is extremely rare when this happens and it was a real blow.

"We were living in pretty secure quarters in a Red Cross compound but you were always aware of what was happening around you.

"You could often hear gunshots and see smoke in the distance. There was always an armed presence. It was strange at first but you soon got used to it."

Dr Cooper became involved with the Red Cross after he finished working as a locum and decided to work abroad.

He said: "My family were worried about my safety. I didn't think much about the dangers. I think it's worse for the people at home because those in the middle of it don't have time to dwell."

Dr Cooper intends to go on another Red Cross mission and this time his wife Bernadette, who works in public health, hopes to go with him.

He said: "We both want to do what we can to help. It will be interesting to see where we go next."