Report: Iraq reimposes Saddam-era freeze on issuing medical diplomas

A child found underneath the rubble two days after the March bombing in Tal Afar waits her turn for treatment at an Iraqi medical clinic.

BAGHDAD -- Iraq is hemorrhaging doctors as violence racks the nation. To stem the flow, the Iraqi government has recently taken a cue from Saddam Hussein: Medical schools are once again forbidden to issue diplomas and transcripts to new graduates.

Hussein built a fine medical system in part by withholding doctors' passports and diplomas. Although physicians can work in Iraq with a letter from a medical school verifying their graduation, they say they need certificates and transcripts to work abroad...

Baghdad University medical students said a sign announcing the freeze on medical degrees was posted in late March at the office where they pick up their diplomas. The order was issued by the Ministry of Higher Education and cited a February letter from the office of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Read the rest at the Washington Post