A Regime Story

A woman I met was trained as a medical technician and was a top student in her class. She began working in a lab during the sanctions in the 90’s. She earned $1.00 per day for 7 years. She was obligated to work as a health professional she was not given an option. At the time, doctors were fleeing Iraq in droves. On their passports they all listed their occupation as “worker” so they would not be arrested at the border, as it was also illegal for health professionals to leave the country. One day on the bus to the border, someone had a heart attack. When the police arrived they looked around the bus and asked, “Can any of the workers help this man?”