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IPPNW-Students Ireland

2004

Physicians for Social Responsibility Ireland was born in the hot days of May 2003 when the Irish students came back from the Berlin summit. As a small group (of 3!) they sought contact to other “socially responsible souls” in Ireland and ran a series of talks to this affect, advertised in all the Dublin medical schools, on social issues such as Homelessness, Mental Illness and Immigration that affected health. Through these talks, the group grew to more than 60 medical students and it was then that the Irish group felt secure enough to announce that they would host the European Student Congress.

Apart from organizing this fantastic congress, they have tried to raise awareness amongst students of broader issues (poverty, inequality, marginalisation, unfair trade, arms trafficking and proliferation etc. etc) that affect health. They’ve also tried to discover ways to use their voices and position as doctors and medical students to improve these issues. Above all, the Irish students became aware that a group such as PSR must be enjoyable, something that adds to the lives of its members – “privileged young adults who want to make a positive impact on the world, instead of martyrs to a cause or holier-than-thou puritans”.

In the future, we’re bound to hear a lot more from this active and ambitious group. Some of their plans for the future include conducting research on health status and access to health among Dublin’s homeless population in conjunction with a group of inner-city GPs, campaigning for a scholarship system in each of the medical colleges for students from low-income countries and campaigning for the implementation of meaningful Global Health education in the colleges’ medical curricula.
In addition, they would also like to increase their involvement in international and European campaigns within the IPPNW network, particularly NWIP and nuclear disarmament advocacy. Finally, they’re planning to continue information and awareness-events at the universities.

2005

The students in Ireland have not been idle since the wonderful European Student Conference in Dublin last year. They have held workshops and organized informational talks on topics ranging from the Northern Ireland conflict to community health. Right now, there are plans for an IPPNW Model United Nations session to take place early next year, which would give students a first-hands experience of disarmament.