Past, Present and Future of Iraqi Health Care
As the conflict in Iraq continues into its sixth year, the primary international focus appears to be on the politics of withdrawal.
For those Iraqi civilians who were unable to escape to a neighboring country daily life remains a challenge, with improvements to key infrastructures—particularly quality health care facilities—coming at a snail’s pace.
Global Impact charity Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports that though the Iraqi government has made recent efforts to develop health services, there are still enormous gaps and thousands of Iraqis receive little or no medical care. Meanwhile, continued bombings and violence leave behind a legacy of life-threatening physical injuries and life-altering mental wounds.
To fill these gaps, MSF supports several hospitals in Baghdad and other conflict areas with shipments of medical supplies such as antibiotics, anesthetics, surgical equipment, dressings, suture kits and medicines. The organization also conducts medical and mental health trainings for Iraqi professionals and has provided two hospitals in northern Iraq with surgical teams.
On February 12, 2009, member charity International Medical Corps announced a partnership with the Ministry of Health to implement a national Emergency Medicine Care Development program for Iraq. This is the first in-depth attempt to overhaul and expand the civilian emergency infrastructure for the country.
A comprehensive reform package, the program addresses Iraq’s critical need for essential emergency medical services on numerous levels, including policy, capacity building, continuing education and technical assistance. Improvements made to-date include the establishment of a pre-hospital training program to certify providers across Iraq as Emergency Medical Technicians and education of physicians currently working in emergency departments across the country on up-to-date advanced life support skills.
 Photo: Project HOPE
The Basrah Children's Hospital is expected to open in southern Iraq in November 2009.
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Currently under construction and scheduled to fully open its doors in November 2009, BCH represents the first new hospital constructed in Iraq since the 1980s. The facility will house neonatal and intensive care units, two operating rooms and an urgently needed oxygen plant. The hospital will also include a residence area, where families of patients may stay onsite.
As a key partner in the project, Project HOPE is responsible for medically equipping the entire hospital and providing training for all hospital staff.
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