Ali Bedri
{{Short description|Sudanese physician (1903-1987)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| office = Minister of Health
| termstart = 1948
| termend = 1952
| birth_date = 26 November 1903
| birth_place = Rufaa, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
(present-day Sudan)
| death_date = {{death date and age|1987|1|13|1903|11|26|df=y}}
| native_name = علي بدري
| native_name_lang = ar
| education = Gordon Memorial College
Kitchener School of Medicine (DKSM)
| name = Ali Bedri
| parents = Babiker Bedri (father)
| image = Ali Bedri, 1970.jpg
| caption = Ali Bedri in 1970
}}
Ali Bedri {{Honorific suffix|country=GB|MBE}} ({{Langx|ar|علي بدري}}; 26 November 1903 - 13 January 1987) was a Sudanese physician, and the first Minister of Health of Sudan.
Life and career
= Early life and education =
File:The_first_batch_of_students_graduating_from_the_Kitchener_School_of_Medicine_in_1928.png
Ali Babiker Bedri was born on 26 November 1903 in Rufaa, Blue Nile state. He was the son of Sheikh Babiker Bedri, a Mahdist War veteran and pioneer of women's education in Sudan.{{Cite book |last=Reynolds |first=Reginald |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PUMvAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia |title=Beware of Africans: A Pilgrimage from Cairo to the Cape |date=1955 |publisher=Jarrolds |language=en |access-date=2023-04-07 |archive-date=2023-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407011855/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=PUMvAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&dq=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjwxYOQy5b-AhUKfMAKHeuIBdw4HhDoAXoECAIQAw |url-status=live }}{{Cite book |last=Reynolds |first=Reginald |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oTI6AQAAIAAJ&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia |title=Cairo to Cape Town: A Pilgrimage in Search of Hope |date=1955 |publisher=Doubleday |language=en |access-date=2023-04-07 |archive-date=2023-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407011854/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oTI6AQAAIAAJ&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&dq=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjwxYOQy5b-AhUKfMAKHeuIBdw4HhDoAXoECAYQAw |url-status=live }} Ali Bedri received his early education in Rufaa, where his father established schools. He later attended the Gordon Memorial College in Khartoum, where he graduated as a teacher in 1923. Although he initially pursued a career in teaching, he decided to switch to medicine and became one of the first students to enrol in the Kitchener School of Medicine.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DRfUDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA112 |title=Clio Medica. Acta Academiae Internationalis Historiae Medicinae. Vol. 11 |date=2020-01-29 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-41823-3 |language=en |access-date=2023-04-07 |archive-date=2023-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407011856/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=DRfUDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA112&dq=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwidmZa5xZb-AhVMY8AKHVSGC5QQ6AF6BAgIEAM |url-status=live }} In 1928, he graduated with distinction{{Cite book |last=Bayoumi |first=Ahmed |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7AHPAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia |title=The History of Sudan Health Services |date=1979 |publisher=Kenya Literature Bureau |language=en |access-date=2023-04-07 |archive-date=2023-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407011854/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=7AHPAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&dq=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwitqanVy5b-AhXQh1wKHYwxBo04KBDoAXoECAQQAw |url-status=live }} and worked as a medical officer in Singa, Dongola, the Nuba Mountains, and Sennar.{{Cite web |title=The Kitchener School of Medicine: 20th-century medical education in Sudan {{!}} RCP Museum |url=https://history.rcplondon.ac.uk/blog/kitchener-school-medicine-20th-century-medical-education-sudan |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=history.rcplondon.ac.uk |archive-date=2022-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206144241/https://history.rcplondon.ac.uk/blog/kitchener-school-medicine-20th-century-medical-education-sudan |url-status=live }}
Bedri later went on to become one of the first Sudanese to hold the position of senior medical officer at Omdurman Hospital and Khartoum Hospital. In 1937, he travelled to the United Kingdom for postgraduate training at Hammersmith Hospital. He was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1952.{{Cite web |title=Ali Bedri {{!}} RCP Museum |url=https://history.rcplondon.ac.uk/inspiring-physicians/ali-bedri |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=history.rcplondon.ac.uk |archive-date=2023-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404160555/https://history.rcplondon.ac.uk/inspiring-physicians/ali-bedri |url-status=live }}
= Career =
Upon his return to Sudan, Bedri was appointed as the first Sudanese doctor to hold the position of assistant deputy director of medical services under Eric Pridie. His prior experience as a medical inspector in various regions of Sudan allowed him to understand the country's health issues and the importance of creating an efficient medical service. With a limited budget and the challenging conditions of World War II, Bedri had the difficult task of determining priorities. Guided by his British teachers and senior colleagues, he developed the vision that made him the first architect of an independent Sudanese medical profession.
Bedri was appointed to the Advisory Council for Northern Sudan and the Sudanisation Committee,{{Cite journal |last=Al- Teraifi |first=Al- Agab A. |title=Sudanization of the Public Service: A Critical Analysis |date=1977 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44947360 |journal=Sudan Notes and Records |volume=58 |pages=117–134 |jstor=44947360 |issn=0375-2984 |access-date=2023-04-07 |archive-date=2023-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407173255/https://www.jstor.org/stable/44947360 |url-status=live }} and although his civil servant status restricted him from overt political activities, he firmly believed in Sudanese independence.{{Cite book |last=Sanderson |first=Lilian Passmore |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UekZAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia |title=Against the Mutilation of Women: The Struggle to End Unnecessary Suffering |date=1981 |publisher=Ithaca |isbn=978-0-903729-66-6 |language=en |access-date=2023-04-07 |archive-date=2023-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407011853/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=UekZAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&dq=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjK--qLyZb-AhWVScAKHbJ0Bk04ChDoAXoECAoQAw#%22Ali%20Bedri%22%20-wikipedia |url-status=live }} In 1948, Bedri was elected as a member of the first legislative assembly and subsequently appointed as the Minister of Health.{{Cite web |title=inauthor:"Ann Crichton-Harris" - Google Search |url=https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:%22Ann+Crichton-Harris%22 |access-date=2023-04-07 |website=www.google.com |archive-date=2023-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408161836/https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&sxsrf=APwXEdei0huTrF9jqVtxfXONwzgyakIzMQ:1680828323439&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:%22Ann+Crichton-Harris%22&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwidmZa5xZb-AhVMY8AKHVSGC5QQ9Ah6BAgGEAY&biw=375&bih=629&dpr=3 |url-status=live }}{{Cite book |last=Affairs |first=Royal Institute of International |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SUYNAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia |title=Chronology of International Events and Documents |date=1947 |publisher=Royal Institute of International Affairs |language=en |access-date=2023-04-07 |archive-date=2023-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407011854/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=SUYNAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&dq=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjwxYOQy5b-AhUKfMAKHeuIBdw4HhDoAXoECAcQAw |url-status=live }} Bedri served as Minister of Health in Sudan from 1948 to 1952,{{Cite book |last=Cruickshank |first=Alexander |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pq86AAAAMAAJ&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia |title=The Kindling Fire: Medical Adventures in the Southern Sudan |date=1962 |publisher=London |language=en |access-date=2023-04-07 |archive-date=2023-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407011853/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=pq86AAAAMAAJ&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&dq=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjXvvWqyZb-AhWHasAKHckUCac4FBDoAXoECAIQAw |url-status=live }} during which time he played a significant role in the development and expansion of the country's healthcare services. After voting for the self-government of Sudan, Bedri resigned from his position as Minister of Health and returned to his private medical practice.
During his tenure as Minister of Health before Sudan's independence, Ali Bedri launched a comprehensive ten-year plan aimed at establishing an effective healthcare system in the country. Bedri recognized the importance of postgraduate education and training for Sudanese doctors in both preventive and curative medicine, as well as the need to train paramedics, nursing staff, and workers in maternal and child health.
Bedri continued to play an active role as the president of the Sudan Medical Council from 1968 to 1974,{{Cite web |title=Sudan Medical Council |url=https://ugfacts.net/african-facts/sudan-facts/sudan-medical-council/ |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Ugfacts.net |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404162100/https://ugfacts.net/african-facts/sudan-facts/sudan-medical-council/ |url-status=live }} and worked with the Red Crescent. He was widely recognised as the leading figure in Sudanese medicine as he established a solid foundation for medical training and practice, and set high standards of bedside manners and professionalism during a time when there were limited treatments available for many diseases, and antibiotics were nonexistent for endemic diseases. He was always approachable and willing to provide advice to his colleagues, especially younger doctors.
Bedri was also a leading member of the Society for the Abolition of Female Circumcision,{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RxsQAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia |title=Sudan Notes and Records |date=1982 |publisher=Sudan Notes and Records. |language=en |access-date=2023-04-07 |archive-date=2023-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407011852/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=RxsQAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&dq=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjXvvWqyZb-AhWHasAKHckUCac4FBDoAXoECAMQAw |url-status=live }}{{Cite book |last=Boddy |first=Janice |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F_9ZDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&pg=PR21 |title=Civilizing Women: British Crusades in Colonial Sudan |date=2018-06-05 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-18651-1 |language=en |access-date=2023-04-07 |archive-date=2023-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407011855/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=F_9ZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PR21&dq=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwidmZa5xZb-AhVMY8AKHVSGC5QQ6AF6BAgCEAM |url-status=live }} Director of the Family Planning Association,{{Cite book |last=Network |first=Women's International |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AvIEAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia |title=Women's International Network News |date=1977 |publisher=Women's International Network |language=en |access-date=2023-04-07 |archive-date=2023-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407011852/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=AvIEAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&dq=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwie0NmlzJb-AhXEolwKHcJfC-I4PBDoAXoECAYQAw |url-status=live }} and founded the first girls' school in the Sudan.{{Cite web |title=inauthor:"Anti-slavery Society for the Protection of Human Rights" - Google Search |url=https://www.google.com/search?cs=1&tbm=bks&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:%22Anti-slavery+Society+for+the+Protection+of+Human+Rights%22 |access-date=2023-04-07 |website=www.google.com |archive-date=2023-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408161721/https://www.google.com/search?sa=N&cs=1&tbm=bks&sxsrf=APwXEdctwH7HVRqI9BZhHOgFM1OnqwV-zA%3A1680829367286&tbm=bks&q=inauthor%3A%22Anti-slavery%20Society%20for%20the%20Protection%20of%20Human%20Rights%22&ved=2ahUKEwjXvvWqyZb-AhWHasAKHckUCac4FBD0CHoECAcQBg&biw=375&bih=629&dpr=3 |url-status=live }}
= Personal life and death =
Bedri married Hurum El Amin.{{Cite web |date=2014-07-18 |title=Ali Babiker Bedri |url=https://kameltoekush.wordpress.com/nas-bedri-family-tree/bedri/babiker-bedri-2/ali-babiker-bedri/ |access-date=2023-04-07 |website=Nas Bedri |language=en |archive-date=2023-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407012747/https://kameltoekush.wordpress.com/nas-bedri-family-tree/bedri/babiker-bedri-2/ali-babiker-bedri/ |url-status=live }} Together they had a son, four daughters, and a total of twelve grandchildren.
Awards and honours
Bedir was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1952, and Member of the Order of the British Empire.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XzxurdNDadsC&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia |title=Middle East, a survey and directory |date=1953 |language=en |access-date=2023-04-07 |archive-date=2023-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407011854/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XzxurdNDadsC&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&dq=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjXvvWqyZb-AhWHasAKHckUCac4FBDoAXoECAsQAw |url-status=live }}{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3CtXAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia |title=The Middle East: A Survey and Directory of the Countries of the Middle East |date=1953 |publisher=Europa Publications. |language=en |access-date=2023-04-07 |archive-date=2023-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407011856/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3CtXAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&dq=%22Ali+Bedri%22+-wikipedia&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjXvvWqyZb-AhWHasAKHckUCac4FBDoAXoECAQQAw |url-status=live }}
References
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Category:Gordon Memorial College alumni