As Republican politicians in Washington bickered over the fate of Obamacare this week hundreds of desperate people queued outside a county fairground 400 miles away in the hope of receiving basic medical treatment.

Teeth rotting, eyes squinting, blood pressure soaring, some on crutches or with oxygen tanks, they limped in through the darkness. Some had camped in a field or slept in their cars to be first in line.

This massive free healthcare event, staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses, treated thousands of people over the weekend. Inside a barn, animal stalls were transformed into makeshift medical facilities. A team of optometrists tested for glaucoma in the chicken house. Mammograms and skin examinations took place in trailers.

"I just wish I could get President Trump to come and see this," said Stan Brock, a British philanthropist and founder of Remote Area Medical, the charity behind it.

"The people here are Mr Trump's constituency, they're his voters, and it drives me up the wall. If he saw what was happening I'm sure he'd do something about it. Unfortunatley I cant contact him because I don't tweet."

Mr Brock, 80, added: "This organisation was designed to parachute into the most God awful places. I expected to see stuff like this in South Sudan and Haiti, but it's right here in the United States of America."