I was wading my way through the misery porn that passes for news these days, when I came across this article. It's not often that a story can move me to tears, but this one did. Dr Jim Swire is a retired GP who lost his daughter Flora in the Lockerbie bombing. When the news reached him that Abdelbaset Megrahi had been deprived of his pain medication in Tripoli he said that it was wrong and if he could, he would treat him himself.
I know some would regard this as foolishness. There are those who think that forgiveness is weakness. But there is something piercing about the sheer graciousness and humanity of this man in the face of the callous evil that he experienced. And at a time when the NHS is collapsing around our ears, Dr Jim Swire is a shining example of the utter professionalism of the NHS trained doctor; to treat the patient and relieve their distress, no matter who they are. Dr Jim Swire is a product of the NHS that understands their profession as a vocation and treats it as such. He is the very best of the NHS.
