Very Hard Life - Doctors in Iraq

What kind of life does a doctor experience in a war-torn country? This question has been on my mind ever since I listened to reports of casualties following suicide attacks and military operation in the current Iraqi war. I have read a number of articles describing the lives of doctors in Baghdad and the answer was worse than I expected. Living in US, I have come to expect a doctor to have some form of elevated level of security due to the basic need of people with such skills (I even heard rumors of med students/doctors feeling safer in bad neighborhoods due to the fact that their would-be attackers understand that they may rely on their help some day). The current situation in Baghdad is very different; doctors there are afraid for their lives; 2,000 doctors have been murdered since 2003 according to Mother Jones magazine [1], and around 35% left the country. One of the causes is the elevated status doctors have in the society, which leads to kidnappings for ransom. Another, most compelling one, stems from religion; for example Shiite doctors/residents fled when Sunni militia was coming around [2], and a reverse happened when the Mahdi Army took over hospitals and went after Sunnis [3] .The hospitals lack supplies, the staff is afraid to come to work, and patients are being targeted. This topic is of great significance, and should be understood by current students and doctors.

[1] Mother Jones Magazine (link)
[2]Counterpunch.org (link)
This is an eye-opening article by a university professor from Baghdad, which describes the state of medical care as well as lives of doctors in Baghdad.
[3] CBS News (link)
A journalist reporting on Mahdi Army control of hospitals in Baghdad.

An article of a personal account by a physician from a private hospital in Baghdad. (link)

Image Sources
Image-1: wounded in Iraqi hospital (Reuters)
Image-2: Iraqi doctors in Baghdad emergency room (AP Photo/Ali Abed)