Dear Medical Students,

It is my sincere pleasure to introduce to you the thirteenth issue of Medical Students International (MSI). Our pervading theme is the United Nations Millennium Development Goal (MDG) No. 1 and the pages of this issue will take you on a journey exploring health in all corners of the world.

It is indeed a hopeful goal for United Nations to attempt to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. MDG No. 1 aims to reduce by half the population of people living on less than a dollar a day while also reducing by half the proportion of people suffering from hunger. But just as every success begins with a dream we must do everything in our power to build a brighter future with our international colleagues by acting now.

The best way to get involved immediately is through educating ourselves regarding the issues facing healthcare on an international level. Medicine was not born in a vacuum. As such, the education of student doctors must include significant emphasis on the responsibilities of the physician in the community - both locally and globally.

As tomorrow's doctors and leaders in healthcare, I urge you to take a stand. We must stand up for peace and we must stand up equality. Only then will we be able to make significant progress in reaching the Goals and achieving better health globally.

This issue includes articles about the state of health and poverty in countries such as Germany, Rwanda, India, Nigeria, Nepal, Bangladesh, Palestine, the Philippines and Canada. Poverty is not a plague confined simply to those deemed as "developing nations" but affects the biggest and smallest of countries worldwide. No one can remain complacent when the battle against poverty rages in everyone's backyard.

Let us open your eyes to the truth about the world we live in.

On behalf of the Editorial Board,
Ripudaman Singh Minhas
(MD Class of 2008, University of Toronto)
Editor-in-Chief, MSI 13