Prestigious medical journal publishes article on Sudanese doctors

By Marta Cyperling
Posted September 4, 2008

Dr. Ajak Abraham Kuchkon with a patient at his clinic in Werkok, South Sudan.: Photo by Ruth ParentThe story of Sudanese refugee physicians who trained in Canada and returned to their home in Southern Sudan where they are needed most, is being told in this week's edition of The Lancet, one of the most well-known peer-reviewed medical journals in the world.

The comment piece written by an authorship team led by Dr. Rodney Crutcher from the University of Calgary, Faculty of Medicine describes 11 doctors who now work in Southern Sudan, after graduating from the university's Sudanese Physician Reintegration Program.  The program, a partnership with Samaritan's Purse, provided nine-months of medical upgrading to complement the medical training the doctors initially received in Cuba.

Prior to the program, Southern Sudan had fewer then 50 medical doctors for a population of about 10 million.

Read the article in The Lancet.

About the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary

The U of C's Faculty of Medicine is a national leader in health research with an international reputation for excellence and innovation in health care research, education and delivery. Through its educational programs, the Faculty of Medicine trains the physicians and scientists who will lead the next generation of health practitioners. Through its clinical work, continuing medical education programs, and close relationship with the Calgary Health Region, the Faculty of Medicine moves new treatments and diagnostic techniques from the laboratory bench to the hospital bedside efficiently and effectively, improving patient care.

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