Friday, September 07, 2007
Iraq only has a third of the doctors it needs
Security
(AP) -- Iraq only has a third of the doctors it needs because killings and kidnappings of the medical professionals prompted many to leave the country, its military surgeon general said Thursday. A recent decline in violence is tempting some to return, said Brig. Gen. Samir Abdullah Hassan, surgeon general for the country's soldiers, sailors, airmen and special forces.
Speaking to Pentagon reporters, Samir said he didn't have figures for the number of doctors practicing in Iraq now compared to the number before the war. But the military alone has only about a fourth of the physicians its needs - there are 148 and the need is for 600 to 700, he said. For the country overall, the Ministry of Health only has 35 percent of the physicians it needs to staff its civilian hospitals, he said.
Samir, who was trained as an orthopedic surgeon, was in Washington the past week for meetings with U.S. military and civilian medical facilities. He said colleagues who had fled to Jordan, Egypt and other nations have been in touch with him recently, saying they would like to come home. "There is (still) kidnapping, there is assassination, but it's decreased," he said.
"I can assure you if the security improved more and more, the majority of them would return back to the country," said Samir. To attract and keep more in the profession, the government also needs to increase salaries from the roughly $300 a month now paid to newly trained doctors, Samir said in a briefing with Dr. Ward S. Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health.
Casscells said more attention was paid by the U.S. to Iraqi health care before violence spiraled in early 2006. He indicated that he's taking another look at the possibilities now that security seems to be improving in some areas. Like everything else in Iraq, rebuilding the health sector has been greatly slowed by violence and problems within the Iraqi government.
For instance, of some 70 health care centers scheduled for construction by last July, only 44 were completed. Of those, 20 had been turned over to the Ministry of Health to administer and only eight were open at the end of July, according to the most recent report by Stuart Bowen, special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction.
Speaking to Pentagon reporters, Samir said he didn't have figures for the number of doctors practicing in Iraq now compared to the number before the war. But the military alone has only about a fourth of the physicians its needs - there are 148 and the need is for 600 to 700, he said. For the country overall, the Ministry of Health only has 35 percent of the physicians it needs to staff its civilian hospitals, he said.
Samir, who was trained as an orthopedic surgeon, was in Washington the past week for meetings with U.S. military and civilian medical facilities. He said colleagues who had fled to Jordan, Egypt and other nations have been in touch with him recently, saying they would like to come home. "There is (still) kidnapping, there is assassination, but it's decreased," he said.
"I can assure you if the security improved more and more, the majority of them would return back to the country," said Samir. To attract and keep more in the profession, the government also needs to increase salaries from the roughly $300 a month now paid to newly trained doctors, Samir said in a briefing with Dr. Ward S. Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health.
Casscells said more attention was paid by the U.S. to Iraqi health care before violence spiraled in early 2006. He indicated that he's taking another look at the possibilities now that security seems to be improving in some areas. Like everything else in Iraq, rebuilding the health sector has been greatly slowed by violence and problems within the Iraqi government.
For instance, of some 70 health care centers scheduled for construction by last July, only 44 were completed. Of those, 20 had been turned over to the Ministry of Health to administer and only eight were open at the end of July, according to the most recent report by Stuart Bowen, special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction.
Labels: Brig. Gen. Samir Abdullah Hassan, doctors, medical professionals, Ministry of Health, violence
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Doctors go on strike in Basrah over lack of protection
Medical
(IRIN) - Nearly 150 doctors in Basra, Iraq's second largest city about 600km south of Baghdad, began a three-day strike on 23 July, demanding the government protect them and their families. "We will not attend our clinics and will not do operations for three days to draw to the government's attention our plight as doctors living in harsh conditions," said Dr Muaid Jumaa, head of the Basra Doctors' Association.
Jumaa said 12 doctors had been killed in Basra by unidentified gunmen since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, and dozens of others had fled the city. "We are protesting against the assassinations, kidnappings, threats and blackmail facing doctors in Basra and calling on the government to shoulder its responsibilities in protecting this important sector of our society," Jumaa said.
"The government has to improve the security situation in the province and this is not hard," he continued."We call on the government and parliament to adopt laws to protect doctors. Tough punishments should be meted out to those who threaten, kidnap and kill doctors."
According to figures from the Iraqi Health Ministry released earlier this year, 618 medical employees, including 132 doctors, as well as medics and other health care workers, have been killed nationwide since 2003. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of other medical personnel are believed to have fled to Iraq's northern semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and neighboring countries.
Labels: Basra, Basra Doctors' Association, doctors, Dr Muaid Jumaa, medical, Ministry of Health, strikes
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
20 per cent drop in civilian deaths in Iraq in April
Security
(Reuters) - Violence in Iraq killed 1,506 civilians in April, nearly a 20 percent drop from the previous month, Iraqi government figures showed on Tuesday. A U.S.-backed security crackdown in Baghdad has helped reduce some violence in the city, such as sectarian death squad killings. But militants, especially al Qaeda, have sought to step up attacks outside the capital.
The figures were compiled by the interior, defense and health ministries and obtained by Reuters. The number of civilians killed in March was 1,861 from 1,645 in February. The Baghdad security plan aims to reduce sectarian violence in the capital and its surrounding areas to give the Shi'ite-led government the chance to make progress on national reconciliation with minority Sunni Arabs.
In April, 130 Iraqi policemen and 63 Iraqi soldiers were killed, the data showed. April has been a bad month for U.S. soldiers in Iraq, with 104 killed, making it one of the deadliest months since the invasion in 2003. The Iraqi data showed nearly 3,000 militants were detained during the month. Civilian casualty numbers are a sensitive issue in Iraq.
The United Nations last week accused Iraq of withholding figures for this year because the government feared the data would be used to paint a "very grim" picture of the country. The criticism was contained in a new U.N. human rights report on Iraq which drew fire from U.S. officials in Baghdad and the Iraqi government. They said it was flawed and contained numerous inaccuracies.
The figures were compiled by the interior, defense and health ministries and obtained by Reuters. The number of civilians killed in March was 1,861 from 1,645 in February. The Baghdad security plan aims to reduce sectarian violence in the capital and its surrounding areas to give the Shi'ite-led government the chance to make progress on national reconciliation with minority Sunni Arabs.
In April, 130 Iraqi policemen and 63 Iraqi soldiers were killed, the data showed. April has been a bad month for U.S. soldiers in Iraq, with 104 killed, making it one of the deadliest months since the invasion in 2003. The Iraqi data showed nearly 3,000 militants were detained during the month. Civilian casualty numbers are a sensitive issue in Iraq.
The United Nations last week accused Iraq of withholding figures for this year because the government feared the data would be used to paint a "very grim" picture of the country. The criticism was contained in a new U.N. human rights report on Iraq which drew fire from U.S. officials in Baghdad and the Iraqi government. They said it was flawed and contained numerous inaccuracies.
Officials from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said they were given no official reason why their requests for specific official data had been turned down. In January, UNAMI said 34,452 Iraqi civilians were killed in 2006, figures that were much higher than any statistics issued by the government.
Labels: civilian deaths, Iraq violence, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Interior, UNAMI
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
UNAMI - civilian casualties high in Baghdad despite security operation
Security, U.N., Human Rights
(AP) - Sectarian violence continued to claim the lives of a large number of Iraqi civilians in Sunni Arab and Shiite neighborhoods of Iraq's capital, despite the coalition's new Baghdad security plan, the U.N. said Wednesday. In its first human rights report since the security plan was launched on Feb. 14, with increasing U.S. and Iraqi troops levels in the capital, the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said civilian casualties in the daily violence between January and March remained high, concentrated in and around Baghdad.
UNAMI also said that for the first time since it began issuing quarterly reports on the human rights situation in Iraq, the new Jan. 1 through March 31 report did not contain overall death figures from Iraq's Ministry of Health because it refused to release them. The U.N. agency said the reason appeared to be that after the publication of its last human rights report on Jan. 16, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office told UNAMI its mortality figures were exaggerated, "although they were in fact official figures compiled and provided by a government ministry."
"While government officials claimed an initial drop in the number of killings in the latter half of February following the launch of the Baghdad security plan, the number of reported casualties rose again in March," the UNAMI study said. Despite the government's announced decrease, the number of victims remained high, with up to 25 bodies still being found on some days during this period in Baghdad, the report said.
On March 1, it said, Iraq's Ministry of Interior announced that 1,646 civilians were killed in Iraq in February, most of them in Baghdad, but that "it is unclear on what basis these figures were compiled." UNAMI said that even though its current report's evidence cannot be numerically substantiated with government figures, it shows continued high levels of violence throughout the period, including large scale indiscriminate killings and assassinations by insurgents, militias and other armed groups.
UNAMI also said that for the first time since it began issuing quarterly reports on the human rights situation in Iraq, the new Jan. 1 through March 31 report did not contain overall death figures from Iraq's Ministry of Health because it refused to release them. The U.N. agency said the reason appeared to be that after the publication of its last human rights report on Jan. 16, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office told UNAMI its mortality figures were exaggerated, "although they were in fact official figures compiled and provided by a government ministry."
"While government officials claimed an initial drop in the number of killings in the latter half of February following the launch of the Baghdad security plan, the number of reported casualties rose again in March," the UNAMI study said. Despite the government's announced decrease, the number of victims remained high, with up to 25 bodies still being found on some days during this period in Baghdad, the report said.
On March 1, it said, Iraq's Ministry of Interior announced that 1,646 civilians were killed in Iraq in February, most of them in Baghdad, but that "it is unclear on what basis these figures were compiled." UNAMI said that even though its current report's evidence cannot be numerically substantiated with government figures, it shows continued high levels of violence throughout the period, including large scale indiscriminate killings and assassinations by insurgents, militias and other armed groups.
Labels: Baghdad, human rights, Ministry of Health, Operation Fardh al-Qanoon, sectarian violence, U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq, UNAMI
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Major immunisation campaign launched
Health
(BBC) - A major immunisation campaign is to take place in Iraq in a bid to prevent an outbreak of measles.
The World Health Organization and Unicef are overseeing the work of 8,000 volunteers who aim to give up to 3.9 million children the MMR vaccine. The children, aged one to five, have missed out on their routine jabs because of the instability in Iraq. Health experts warn measles could kill up to 10% of infected children if an epidemic took hold.
Iraq's Ministry of Health is organising the two-week MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) immunisation campaign, which is also being funded by the European Commission. Dr Naeema Al-Ghasser, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative for Iraq, said: "All children between 12-59 months everywhere in Iraq need to be immunised, even if they have had the vaccine before. The vaccine is safe and effective, and gives lifelong immunity against measles."
Roger Wright, Unicef special representative for Iraq added: "The timing of this MMR campaign is critical. "This vaccine will certainly save many young lives and we are calling on everyone in Iraq to ensure vaccinators reach children safely over the next two weeks." The campaign is part of Iraq's Measles Elimination Plan, which has so far reduced the incidence of measles cases nearly 20-fold - from 9,181 in 2004 to under 500 last year.
Unicef recently called for increased funding for its work in Iraq. It says it urgently needs an initial $20m - of which only 11% has been received to date.
The World Health Organization and Unicef are overseeing the work of 8,000 volunteers who aim to give up to 3.9 million children the MMR vaccine. The children, aged one to five, have missed out on their routine jabs because of the instability in Iraq. Health experts warn measles could kill up to 10% of infected children if an epidemic took hold.
Iraq's Ministry of Health is organising the two-week MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) immunisation campaign, which is also being funded by the European Commission. Dr Naeema Al-Ghasser, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative for Iraq, said: "All children between 12-59 months everywhere in Iraq need to be immunised, even if they have had the vaccine before. The vaccine is safe and effective, and gives lifelong immunity against measles."
Roger Wright, Unicef special representative for Iraq added: "The timing of this MMR campaign is critical. "This vaccine will certainly save many young lives and we are calling on everyone in Iraq to ensure vaccinators reach children safely over the next two weeks." The campaign is part of Iraq's Measles Elimination Plan, which has so far reduced the incidence of measles cases nearly 20-fold - from 9,181 in 2004 to under 500 last year.
Unicef recently called for increased funding for its work in Iraq. It says it urgently needs an initial $20m - of which only 11% has been received to date.
Labels: children, Dr Naeema Al-Ghasser, Iraq, measles, Ministry of Health, MMR, Roger Wright, UNICEF, WHO
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Health Ministry struggles to deliver services due to violence
Security, Health
(Azzaman) - The Ministry of Health faces serious problems in efforts to deliver services to areas hit by violence and military operations, according to Health Minister Hussein al-Shamari. The minister said most of restive areas in Iraq were almost beyond his ministry’s reach. The lack of medicine and deterioration of health services in these places is due to continuing violence rather than lack of resources, he said.
Shamari said he had made a field hospital available to head for the violent-plagued town of Tal Afar nearly three months ago. “The ministry is still facing problems stationing the field hospital in the city despite promises of assistance from the Defense Ministry,” Shamari said. The failure of the ministry to work properly in restive areas means most of the country, apart from the Kurdish north, is suffering.
Shamari said he had made a field hospital available to head for the violent-plagued town of Tal Afar nearly three months ago. “The ministry is still facing problems stationing the field hospital in the city despite promises of assistance from the Defense Ministry,” Shamari said. The failure of the ministry to work properly in restive areas means most of the country, apart from the Kurdish north, is suffering.
Baghdad, home to nearly six million people, as well as Mosul, the country’s second largest city are among the most violent places in the country. Tal Afar, a sizeable town west of Mosul and home to more than 350,000 people is a frequent scene of massive and devastating car bomb attacks targeting densely populated areas. Violence is not restricted to central Iraq. Conditions are worsening in several cities and towns in the south.
Shamari said insurgents and armed groups target his ministry’s staff and convoys carrying medicine and equipment to hospitals across the country. Scores of Iraqi doctors have been killed and many kidnapped for ransom since the 2003 U.S. invasion, forcing many of them to flee the country. Shamari said three vehicles laden with drugs and equipment to treat and fight cancer were looted and the drivers kidnapped recently.
Shamari said insurgents and armed groups target his ministry’s staff and convoys carrying medicine and equipment to hospitals across the country. Scores of Iraqi doctors have been killed and many kidnapped for ransom since the 2003 U.S. invasion, forcing many of them to flee the country. Shamari said three vehicles laden with drugs and equipment to treat and fight cancer were looted and the drivers kidnapped recently.
Labels: health, Hussein al-Shamari, Ministry of Health, violence
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Foreign company wins Ministry of Health $2.2 mn contract
Contracts
MENAFN
The President of Criticare Systems Inc. announced that the company has was awarded a $2.2 million contract from the Iraqi Ministry of Health for installing a portable multi-parameter vital signs monitor, Iraq Portal reported.
The official indicated that the company has received the contract after winning a tender bid initiated by the Iraqi government earlier this year. He added that the company plans multiple shipments beginning in its fourth quarter of fiscal 2007, with completion anticipated in its first quarter of fiscal 2008.
He pointed out that the company is interested in investing in the Iraqi market despite the current security situation, as the Iraqi authorities facilitate the investment climate in the country with all available means.
The President of Criticare Systems Inc. announced that the company has was awarded a $2.2 million contract from the Iraqi Ministry of Health for installing a portable multi-parameter vital signs monitor, Iraq Portal reported.
The official indicated that the company has received the contract after winning a tender bid initiated by the Iraqi government earlier this year. He added that the company plans multiple shipments beginning in its fourth quarter of fiscal 2007, with completion anticipated in its first quarter of fiscal 2008.
He pointed out that the company is interested in investing in the Iraqi market despite the current security situation, as the Iraqi authorities facilitate the investment climate in the country with all available means.
Labels: Criticare Systems Inc., Ministry of Health
