The murder of a young doctor in Mexico has led to a protest by medical school graduates in the country.
Last month, Erick David Andrade, 24, was killed in the northern state of Durango whilst he was treating a patient. He was just days away from finishing the mandatory term of social service required of Mexican medical school graduates before they start an internship or residency.
He was staffing a lone clinic when armed men entered. An argument began and two of the armed men opened fire on Erick.
The motive for the killing is not known but in other similar cases doctors have been killed by gunmen who were intent on murdering a patient who was being treated or because they were blamed for the death of an injured gangster who could not be saved.
Erick’s death has prompted recent medical school graduates to call for changes to a system which they say often leaves them exposed to danger in remote parts of the country during the early years of their careers.
The dangers have increased in remote areas due to rising gang violence.
Durango state authorities later promised to install emergency call buttons and security cameras at the clinic and have occasional police patrols but doctors are this is not enough.
The Durango Medical Association said: “Over the last few years, it has become a regular occurrence for doctors and nursing staff to risk their lives when they accept, usually out of necessity, a job in one of the outlying towns in the state.”
