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Medicine Weekly, 5th July 2006
The Health Advisor to GOAL’s Primary Health Care division
has been presented with UCC’s prestigious Medical School Medal
for 2006.
A former University College Cork graduate, Dr Mary McLoughlin joined
GOAL in 1987. Since starting with the organisation she has worked
in some of the most war-ravaged areas of the world, including Iraq,
Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia, among others.
 In
1994 Dr McLoughlin became trapped alongside United Nations personnel
in the Muslim town of Gorazde as war was waged around her. During
the Gulf War she was taken hostage by Iraqi troops and held for
three months. In 1997 Dr McLouglin was presented with the People
of the Year Award. Prior to receiving her medal from University
College Cork last month, she encouraged the College’s newly-qualified
doctors to consider the prospect of joining organisation such as
GOAL.
She said this would significantly help the effort to address the
enormous health inequalities between the developing and developed
worlds.
Dr McLoughlin pointed out that a mere 1.3 per cent of the world’s
health workers practised in Africa, despite the fact that the area
accounted for 25 per cent of the global disease burden.
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