1/1 A SYRIAN doctor who avoided deportation when the pandemic struck has been given leave to remain in the UK and hopes soon to begin administering the vaccine. Dr Bashar Al Hana, 36, has been living in Darlington since March 2019 after spending seven years seeking sanctuary in numerous countries as he cannot return to Syria because of the civil war. He was due to be deported in March 2020 after his initial application for asylum was rejected, but his flight out of the country was cancelled when the country was plunged into the first lockdown, and he was left destitute. He was taken in Fran and Martin Wood of the Darlington Assistance for Refugees group and his case was taken up by Darlington MP Peter Gibson.