Meritorious Service Cross

• Awarded on: September 25, 1997
• Invested on: December 04, 1998

James Orbinski, M.S.C., Toronto, Ont.
Meritorious Service Cross (civil division)

Chief of Mission to Rwanda with Doctors Without Borders during the Civil War from April to July 1994, Dr. Orbinski provided an extraordinary service by delivering medical assistance and alleviating the suffering of victims, on both sides of the front line. Unwavering in his efforts, Dr. Orbinski opened the Agha Khan (Kin Fayed) Hospital in Kigali, in the middle of a contested area that often became the target of mortar and machine gun fire. Through example, he provided inspirational leadership to a multinational team of medical staff and managed to spur their flagging spirits through the bleakest days of the genocide.