BORN NAUGHTY Dr Ravi Jayaram, consultant paediatrician at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Born Naughty? television presenter, talks to Jemima Lovejoy about his passion for his work, sport and his hometown
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avi moved to Chester when he was just one year old and attended King’s School, Chester, where his partner is now a teacher. After medical school and internships in London and New South Wales, Ravi returned to Chester, where he is now consultant paediatrician at the Countess of Chester Hospital. “I chose to specialise in paediatrics as I enjoy the variety of the job – one day you’re dealing with premature babies, and the next it’s a 6 month old with a bad chest infection or a teenager who has overdosed. And I love the fact that you are also dealing with and helping the families of the sick children. Children are a great leveller – it doesn’t matter if you’re the best consultant in the country, there’s no room for airs and graces. You have to know how to engage with them. “The most emotional part of my job is working in the neonatal unit with babies who are premature or have unexpected infections or complications. Although the majority of babies do well, some have long-term problems or don’t survive. As a parent it can be hard to communicate bad news to parents.” Ravi is an avid supporter of The Babygrow Appeal and will be taking on a new role as auctioneer at their inaugural Sparkle Ball this November. “We aim to raise £3 million for a new neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital, which will make a huge difference to the families who spend so much time in the unit with their children. The unit was state-of-the-art when it was built in 1974, but there have been major advances in the equipment in the years since then and as a result space has become very limited.
“The unit was originally designed with babies and not parents or siblings in mind, but now we know how critical it is for new babies to spend time with their parents. The new unit will be bigger and have more space near the incubators, as well as a room for families, and a room in which to discuss with parents what sort of care their baby needs.” To support the appeal, Ravi has run the London Marathon and completed a half and full Iron Man distance triathlon. He only learned to swim in January 2010 after his friend and fellow consultant, Stephen Breary, challenged him to do so and to complete a triathlon. After six months of learning to swim, he completed 1500m in the River Dee. Not only is Ravi busy with his job at the hospital and various sporting challenges, but he has also turned his hand to television presenting. “I always enjoyed theatre and music. I actually performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival back in 1989, and I also use to busk in Chester when I was 16 or 17. The bagpipe player use to have a hat full of coins, but we’d only have a few coppers! “I’ve appeared on a few television quiz shows and managed to win The Weakest Link in 2002. So when I saw an opportunity on a medical website to apply for a presenting role I applied. Several months later, and after several interviews, I landed the role of consultant paediatrician on Born Naughty? – all awesome experiences, but still nothing compares to the day job.” The Babygrow Appeal is now looking for donors who wish to have the unit or rooms named after themselves. To donate, please visit www.coch.fundraising/babygrow or email Janetratcliffe1@nhs.net
“Children are a great leveller – it doesn’t matter if you’re the best 38