Rolo
07-06-2004, 04:22 PM
Kidnapping of Doctors Causes Great Concern in Iraq
Over the past three months, doctors have been kidnapped in Baghdad and held for ransom. The tactic is causing a steady exodus of physicians, leaving the health care system in near-critical condition.
According to the Iraqi Medical Association, the IMA, no fewer than 24 prominent doctors have been kidnapped in Baghdad over the past three months.
The problem has become so worrisome that the IMA has created a special committee to try to come up with workable solutions. A member of the committee is Dr. Akif al-Lalousi, a pathologist, who says, at first, doctors were not among victims of kidnappings and street assassinations.
"And then we saw a series of kidnappings going on, with very carefully-selected figures, which would have a lot of impact on society," said Dr. al-Lalousi. "They were all prominent figures, professors, cream of the cream in their fields; neurosurgeons, transplantation surgeons, professors of surgery, ophthalmologists, different groups. They were kidnapped, asked for ransom, and when they were released, they told their colleagues, and they had to leave the country."
According to Dr. Ghaib al-Kassam, who is a general surgeon, the aim is to try to rid Iraq of its intellectual wealth.
"It looks as if the aim is to drain the country out of its brains. And they tend to select the highly qualified, the more experienced doctors, asking them for money and then asking them to leave the country," he said. "It doesn't look like a group of thieves. It looks as if there's some organization behind it, a criminal organization, trying to drain this country out of its brains."
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectI...93D5B05C5F946F8 (http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=2B259DC0-47D0-4D85-B93D5B05C5F946F8)
Islamist fearing freedom of thought.. we need to spread democracy in the middle east!
Over the past three months, doctors have been kidnapped in Baghdad and held for ransom. The tactic is causing a steady exodus of physicians, leaving the health care system in near-critical condition.
According to the Iraqi Medical Association, the IMA, no fewer than 24 prominent doctors have been kidnapped in Baghdad over the past three months.
The problem has become so worrisome that the IMA has created a special committee to try to come up with workable solutions. A member of the committee is Dr. Akif al-Lalousi, a pathologist, who says, at first, doctors were not among victims of kidnappings and street assassinations.
"And then we saw a series of kidnappings going on, with very carefully-selected figures, which would have a lot of impact on society," said Dr. al-Lalousi. "They were all prominent figures, professors, cream of the cream in their fields; neurosurgeons, transplantation surgeons, professors of surgery, ophthalmologists, different groups. They were kidnapped, asked for ransom, and when they were released, they told their colleagues, and they had to leave the country."
According to Dr. Ghaib al-Kassam, who is a general surgeon, the aim is to try to rid Iraq of its intellectual wealth.
"It looks as if the aim is to drain the country out of its brains. And they tend to select the highly qualified, the more experienced doctors, asking them for money and then asking them to leave the country," he said. "It doesn't look like a group of thieves. It looks as if there's some organization behind it, a criminal organization, trying to drain this country out of its brains."
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectI...93D5B05C5F946F8 (http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=2B259DC0-47D0-4D85-B93D5B05C5F946F8)
Islamist fearing freedom of thought.. we need to spread democracy in the middle east!