The killing of doctors in Iraq must stop.

O n 29 March 2011 Professor Mohammed Alwan, dean of AlMustansiriya Medical School in Baghdad and my uncle, was assassinated. A bomb was planted in his car and exploded as he got in after leaving his medical practice. He was a distinguished academic and surgeon who was respected by his students, and he was a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Within a week, another clinical academic from the same institution—Dr Zaid Abdul Munim, head of research at the molecular department—was killed with a similar technique. These are not isolated incidents. Assassinations and kidnapping of Iraqi doctors, academics, and scientists are now part of everyday life in Iraq, particularly in Baghdad. This phenomenon started after the 2003 US led invasion of the country. One study estimated the combined rate of violent event (death, kidnapping, and threats) among specialist doctors in Iraq in 2004-7 to be 3.7%, and the rate of violent death at 1.6% (Social Science and Medicine 2009;69:172-7). There seems to be a systematic targeting of the brightest, most distinguished, and most highly regarded doctors and scientists. The Spanish Campaign against the Occupation and for the Sovereignty of Iraq (Iraq Solidaridad) listed the names and affiliations of 314 university academics assassinated in Iraq since 2003. Other sources, such as the Iraqi Medical Association, report a higher figure of about 500. As a consequence, the people whom Iraqis desperately need to help rebuild their country are fleeing in fear for their lives and their families’ safety. Before 2003 Iraq’s higher educational system, including medical training, was still well regarded despite years of repression on the part of the regime, neglect, and international economic sanctions. Currently, medical training is suffering enormously in Iraq, with students and academics facing daily threats and junior doctors leaving without proper training and The killing of doctors in Iraq must stop