South Sudanese Surgeon Wins UN Prize
A South Sudanese surgeon has won a prestigious award from the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), in recognition of his efforts tending to refugees affected by war.
Dr Evan Atar Adaha, a 52-year-old surgeon who runs the Maban Referral Hospital in the town of Bunj, was named the winner of the 2018 Nansen Refugee Award.
Nansen Refugee awardees are recognised by UNHCR for dedicating their time to helping people forced from their homes.
Dr Adaha has been running the hospital – which serves over 144 000 refugees from the Blue Nile state in neighbouring Sudan – since 2011. Together, he and his medical team perform nearly 60 surgeries per week in a single room with just one light.
Speaking to a media outlet about the award, Dr Adaha said: “I feel very humbled. I hope this award can help draw attention to the plight of refugees, especially here in Africa where they are often forgotten about.”
Image: Dr Evan Atar Adaha in an operating theatre at the Maban Hospital, the only functional surgical facility in all of Upper Nile. [online image] (2018) sourced on 25 September 2018 from
http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/10300532-3×2-940×627.jpg
