Adopt A Doctor

Adopt A Doctor is a New England-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization seeking to reverse the brain drain that is drawing experienced physicians away from the poorest countries in the world.

What Does This Mean?

Many of the world's poorest countries are finding it difficult to attract and retain experienced physicians because salaries are so low. In Malawi, for example, a doctor earns on average just $70 USD per month and thus practices medicine in the country for an average of only 3 years. Physicians are leaving developing nations such as Malawi in droves to seek more reasonable pay and better resources in other parts of the world.

This is a serious crisis because of the dismal health conditions in these countries. Every day, 35,000 children under five die in the developing world. The great majority of these deaths are from three diseases: pneumonia, diarrhea, and measles, all of which can be prevented or cured by adequate medical care. In total, 14 million people die annually from easily treatable infectious diseases-a quarter of all deaths worldwide. Over 90% of these victims live in developing countries.

Our Program

Adopt A Doctor aspires to solve this problem of high turnover rates and unavailability of experienced physicians by providing financial aid and other critical resources to physicians already working in these poor countries so that they can stay and continue their work.

It is our mission to encourage these doctors to stay where they are needed the most. We significantly increase doctors salaries, contingent upon their agreement to stay in one of our target countries for at least 7 years. We also plan to offer a worldwide network through which doctors can request resources (supplies, equipment, educational materials) directly from donors.