Photo: James Gordon (flickr)

In a country where kidnapping and violence towards medical workers occurs all too frequently, the Iraqi government is taking measures to stop doctors and nurses from leaving the country and convince those who have left to come back.

On Monday, Iraq announced a number of new policies aimed at creating a safer environment for medical professionals to work. Police will not be able to detain doctors without Ministry of Health permission, doctors will be permitted to carry guns, and security will be strengthened at clinics and hospitals. Iraq is also attempting to bring refugee medical workers back home through advertising campaigns and improved salaries.

According to a March 2008 report by the International Committee of the Red Cross,
the health care system in Iraq is in crisis.

More than 2,200 doctors and nurses have been killed and more than 250 kidnapped since 2003. Of the 34,000 registered doctors in 1990, at least 20,000 have left the country."

The lack of a strong health care workforce in Iraq has serious consequences. According to a report by Medact, studies have shown that the conflict in Iraq has caused a dramatic increase in death rates of children under 5, emergency aid needs, and war-related morbidity and mortality. In addition, basic health and primary care services are both hard to find and unaffordable, causing many people to either turn to underqualified practitioners or go without care.

This is not the first attempt by the Iraqi government to lure back skilled professionals: In 2005, the government announced it would double the salaries of university professors to prevent "brain drain." We'll have to see if these latest measures will be enough to improve a dangerous situation.

Photo: realjameso16 (flickr)/ marcn (flickr)

Only two questions on global poverty have ever been asked in the history of modern presidential debates. Two. That's less than 1 percent of all questions asked.

A significant amount of the first debate — which was supposed to focus solely on foreign policy — was devoted to the economic crisis. Yet even in the 60-odd minutes spent discussing international issues, noticeably absent was any reference to how the candidates would address global poverty.

In response, the ONE campaign is renewing its effort to have debate moderators ask the candidates what they plan to do to fight global poverty. The ONE campaign delivered 103,000 signatures to Jim Lehrer before the first debate — to no avail — and now plan to deliver 150,000 signatures to Tom Brokaw before next Tuesday's debate. (Myspace users can submit questions directly to Brokaw for consideration.)

One billion people live on under $1 a day — the definition of extreme poverty. Every year 10 million children die from preventable poverty-related malnutrition and infections. Over 850 million people in the world are undernourished.

Surely it's in our national interest to help alleviate extreme poverty. Let's hope the candidates are forced to address it.

The worldwide hunger epidemic is real. Rising costs of fuel and food, persistent conflicts, disease and global warming mean that the crisis will get worse before it gets better.

That's why Mercy Corps is opening a new Action Center to End World Hunger — to get ordinary U.S. citizens like you motivated, equipped and mobilized to end hunger. The new Center opens October 16 in New York City.

All of us, working together, can end the world hunger epidemic. How? Become a hunger activist. Get your children, neighbors, family and friends to become hunger activists. Visit the ActionCenter.org website, and if you're in New York, stop by the Center and get in the action, right now.

Your Action Center visit puts you up close and personal with our field work around the world — in a fascinating, dynamic setting abuzz with smart conversations, high-tech media and hundreds of ways to get involved right now.

For starters, watch this Tina Fey video about the hunger epidemic and how you can take action with Mercy Corps' to end hunger worldwide. Then visit Mercy Corps' ActionCenter.org website to learn more.