From left, Thomas Taban Acott, disciple of the late father Lee Tae-seok, and specialist John Mayen Ruben. (Provided by Inje University Paik Hospital)
Two disciples of the late Father Lee Tae-seok from South Sudan, Africa, have finally passed the Korean medical specialist qualifying exam.
It is becoming a hot topic at a time when public criticism is heaped on doctors and a medical crisis is unfolding due to the mass resignations of resident doctors in Korea.
According to Inje University Paik Hospital, on the 23rd, priest Lee disciples Thomas Taban Acott (Thomas) and John Mayen Ruben (John) were among the 2,727 people who passed the 67th specialist qualification exam this year.
The two students said, “It was all thanks to Father Lee Tae-seok that I was able to become a doctor by learning Korea and studying medicine,” and added, “I was able to achieve good results thanks to the faculty and staff at the hospital Paik from Inje University who helped me complete my internship without difficulty,” he said.
Thomas and John, who on Father Lee’s advice set out to become doctors in Korea, began their studies with the help of the Sudan Children’s Scholarship Foundation in 2009. Not long after their arrival in Korea, Father Lee died of colon cancer.
Despite this, they dedicated themselves to their studies to continue Father Lee’s spirit and dream of becoming doctors and returning to their home country, and in 2012 they entered Inje University School of Medicine, Father Lee’s alma mater.
Although living in a foreign country was not easy, Thomas and John, who studied at Inje University with full scholarships covering tuition and dormitory fees, passed the 83rd and 84th national medical examinations respectively and became doctors .
Subsequently, after training as an intern at the Sanggye Paik University Hospital of Inje, Thomas trained as a resident at the Department of Surgery of Sanggye Paik University Hospital of Inje and John trained as a resident at the Department of Internal Medicine at Busan Paik Hospital of Inje University, passing the specialty exam this year.
The reason why the two students chose surgery and internal medicine was all related to medical work in South Sudan.
After years of civil war in South Sudan, many people do not have access to adequate healthcare.
Thomas, who chose surgery, explained: “There are many people dying in South Sudan because they cannot get surgery quickly for simple acute appendicitis or cholecystitis due to the shortage of surgeons, so I chose surgery to be helpful”.
John, who chose internal medicine, said: “Since I was young, I have seen many people suffering due to the civil war and the lack of medical care in an environment where there are no doctors. Most of them are Internal medicine diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, hepatitis and infectious diseases, so I chose internal medicine.” “He said.
Keeping in mind Father Lee’s teachings, “Don’t dwell on difficult times,” Thomas and John want to return to their hometown of Tonzu and practice the ninjutsu skills their father was unable to master.
Thomas plans to continue his medical training full-time at Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital to learn further surgeries and gain experience as a surgeon, while John plans to return to South Sudan after completing his training to carry out medical activities and train young doctors.
Father Lee Tae-seok, known as Don Bosco of South Sudan, graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of Inje University in 1987 and became a doctor. After joining the Salesian Society and choosing to become a priest, in 2001 he moved to Tonj, a remote area of South Sudan, Africa, where he built a 12-bed hospital, a school and a dormitory, and engaged in humanitarian, medical and missionary activities. work, but in 2010, at the age of 48, he died of colon cancer, late in life.
In the same year, Father Lee Tae-seok’s pious life became widely known through the documentary “Don’t Cry Tones”, which recorded documents of Father Lee Tae-seok’s life. Then, in 2018, South Sudan’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology published the biography in elementary and middle school textbooks, stating: “We will include the story of the late Father Lee Tae’s devoted and sacrificial life. seok”.
w3to@news1.kr
Copyright ⓒ News1. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution and use of AI-based learning is prohibited.
#resonance #young #Korean #doctors #Dont #Cry #Tones #side #sick #compatriot
