Lynn C. Woolsey: “A very disturbing report emerged from Iraq last week. According to press reports, medical students in Iraq will be…”

“A very disturbing report emerged from Iraq last week. According to press reports, medical students in Iraq will be denied diplomas even though they have completed all of the coursework and passed all of the required testing. This means that they would only be allowed to practice in Iraq, and no other country will accept their medical training or let them practice in the new country, even though they have met all of the requirements. This harkens back to the Iraq we knew under Saddam Hussein's rule. Saddam refused to grant diplomas to medical students in order to keep them in the country. Who would have thought that the new Iraq government would resort to Saddam Hussein's old tricks? This is an alarming and troubling trend, and it should be reversed immediately. While dozens of international medical relief organizations have been forced to leave Iraq because of serious security concerns, Iraqis have fewer and fewer medical professionals available to them. A well-known organization, Doctors Without Borders, related the story of one doctor, Dr. Bassam. He is an Iraqi physician specializing in orthopedic surgery living with his family in Baghdad. His story says: Now, security issues have top priority for the few existing financial resources, and medical needs are forced to take a back seat. This morning, dozens of people were killed in Fallujah. Yesterday, it was Baghdad.”