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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
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Ranjana Srivastava

Why is it judged an indulgence when doctors help the disadvantaged?

In this picture taken Jan. 10, 2012, Partners in Health's co-founder, Dr. Paul Farmer, gestures during the inauguration of national referral and teaching hospital in Mirebalais, Haiti.
‘Dr Paul Farmer; an extraordinary doctor and public health physician committed to global equity … rejected the mindset of clinical nihilism that holds patients responsible for the miserable conditions that imperil their treatment.’ Photograph: Dieu Nalio Chery/AP

When Australia’s east coast was recently devastated by floods, everyone was debating about who needed to do what and the radio crackled with the sound of discontent – a voice broke through all of that saying something like “the people need us, so we are going”.

It was at once such a simple and pragmatic statement of fact that was impossible to ignore. The voice belonged to Dr Daniel Nour, mostly unknown until his recognition as the 2022 Young Australian of the Year.

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