Iraq

April 19, 2007

Escalating violence and widespread insecurity, combined with a worsening shortage of health workers, is putting severe pressure on the health of the Iraqi population, the World Health Organization (WHO) has claimed.

In a media release, the WHO said that in 2006, an average of 100 people were killed every day and many more were seriously injured by gunshots, shrapnel wounds and burns.

It said that as the violence continues, these emergency needs are increasing the load on the public health system that is already stretched thin, and people are dying as a result. The government estimates that almost 70 per cent of critically injured patients with violence-related wounds die while in the Emergency and Intensive Care Units due to a shortage of competent staff and a lack of drugs and equipment.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned that health services within and outside Iraq will not be able to cope with the influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees, as people continue to leave their homes and move within and out of the country.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), nearly two million Iraqis are internally displaced people (IDPs) and as many as two million more have already left the country for neighbouring States, in particular Syria and Jordan .

These figures are expected to rise, a concerned WHO said, given the deteriorating condition of health care in Iraq and the increasing burden placed on host communities as they serve more and more people within and outside Iraq .

It highlighted these concerns at the two-day UNHCR International Conference: Addressing the Humanitarian Needs of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons Inside Iraq and Neighbouring Countries, which concludes today.

The health situation for the general population is poor, with a shortage of basic services: 80 per cent of people lack effective sanitation, 70 per cent lack access to regular clean water, and only 60 per cent have access to the public food distribution system. Diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections, worsened by increased levels of malnutrition, account for about two-thirds of deaths among children under five. The chronic child malnutrition rate is estimated at 21 per cent according to the findings of the 2006 UNICEF Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS3).

The WHO warned that the public health gains during the last few years could be lost if the current situation is not urgently addressed. It said access to health care in central Iraq and in Baghdad is heavily restricted by security threats, putting the injured at risk, as well as those who need treatment for chronic ailments, or services for pregnant women, children and the elderly.

WHO said that it's health priorities for Iraq are to assist the authorities to prevent and contain potential disease outbreaks, cope with the burden of injuries through emergency medical services, improve access to essential services, and ensure the availability of basic supplies like medicines, medical supplies and equipment, potable water, and power and fuel for health facilities.

WHO is present in Iraq with a team of 77 country officers at national and provincial levels, backed by WHO international technical teams.

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