October 8, 1998 | Read Time: 1 minute
An international medical-aid organization that sends physician volunteers to provide medical care to victims of war, civil strife, epidemics, or natural disasters in more than 80 countries has received the 1998 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize.
Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres received the $1-million award last week from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation during a conference in New York City on challenges for humanitarian aid.
John McGill, president of Doctors Without Borders USA, said a portion of the money will be used to expand the organization’s work in southern Sudan, where hundreds of thousands of people are threatened with starvation.
The charity, started in 1971 by a small group of French doctors, now draws volunteers from 45 countries. They perform surgery, set up primary health-care systems, rehabilitate hospitals, conduct immunization campaigns, and train local medical personnel.
“These medical professionals work in the most remote or dangerous parts of the world,” said Barron Hilton, chairman of the Hilton Hotels Corporation and a foundation director. “Their commitment to those in dire need of medical and nutritional aid is exemplary.”
