City engineer in Malawian vet project

A CITY engineer is helping to create a state-of-the-art veterinary practice in Malawi – in just over a week.

Mark Palmer, 42, has taken time out from his job as a senior partner and building services engineer with Max Fordham in the Capital.

He is part of a four-person team organised by Inglis Veterinary Hospital in Dunfermline which will help to turn a clinic operated by a charitable organisation, Lilongwe SPCA, into a modern veterinary facility.

Mr Palmer, who has been involved in high-profile construction projects such as the water polo venue for the London Olympics, said: “My job is design-based, which means I don’t really get my hands dirty. That certainly won’t be the case in Lilongwe.”

Malawi, with a population of about 14 million, has only half a dozen vets and a few hundred veterinary assistants.