ST. PAUL, Minn. — A University of Minnesota program that helps immigrant doctors qualify to practice in Minnesota has fallen victim to last month’s state budget agreement.
Lawmakers eliminated funding for the $150,000 program during the last-minute negotiations, Minnesota Public Radio reported Monday.
The program has allowed three doctors from Somalia, after years of professional limbo, to begin their residency training, which is usually a difficult proposition for immigrant doctors who received their medical degrees years ago.
Dr. Jibril Elabe was in his early 30s when he fled Somalia’s civil war 11 years ago. With a medical degree and eight years of intense field experience to his credit, he hoped he would be able to continue his career in his new home.
“I knew that there were some obstacles,” said Elabe, 44. “But I never thought they would be so hard and it will take so long to overcome.’”
Dr. Liban Farah discovered that his 10 years of delivering babies and treating gunshot victims in Somalia didn’t matter to Minnesota health care providers.
“Every place that you go they will ask you, when did you graduate? And I graduated a long time ago,” Farah said. “Then they will say to you, `Do you have experience in the United States?’ How can I get a United States experience if they don’t give the opportunity to practice here? So it was a difficult time for me.”
