Seven Afghan women refugees graduated from medical internships with International Medical Corps and earned the title of doctor despite severe drought, civil war, and oppressive social restrictions in their homeland.
“These young women doctors completed their training at a crucial time,” said International Medical Corps President and CEO Nancy Aossey. “We’ve seen a tremendous flood of new refugees in the past few months, and camp conditions are stretched. People are living in tents made of pieces of old cloth. International Medical Corps is the one of the few agencies providing medical care, and the seven new doctors can play a key role in aiding our efforts.”
The women were students at Afghan University in Peshawar, Pakistan. International Medical Corps collaborated with the university to create the three-month internship program for desperately needed practical training. They finished their studies Jan. 30, 2001.
In their home country, the women were forbidden to pursue an education under the regulations of the Taliban, the political organization that controls most of Afghanistan. International Medical Corps responded in September 1999 by creating training programs specifically targeted for Afghan women doctors, nurses and health workers who have sought refuge in and around Peshawar. These women are now providing medical care to their fellow refugees.
The training program is the only one in Pakistan run for women, by women.
The newly graduated doctors did their International Medical Corps fieldwork in the refugee camps outside of Peshawar. They learned how to take patient histories, perform physical examinations, diagnose common ailments, and establish management protocols. In addition, they received advanced training in women and children’s health care.
For nearly two decades, Afghans have made up the world’s second largest refugee population. Current conditions in their home country have continued to deteriorate, and in the past four months, International Medical Corps has seen more than 50,000 new Afghan women, men and children make their way to the New Shamshatoo refugee camp outside of Peshawar. Women and children make up nearly 80 percent of refugees.
The internships are just one component of International Medical Corps’ extensive training program in Pakistan. International Medical Corps has trained five “master trainers” — Afghan women doctors who received lessons in education methodology as well as medical skills — and nearly 300 health care workers. These International Medical Corps-trained health care workers have treated more than 12,000 refugees in the last three months alone.