Urgent Funding Needed for Health Care Projects

A recent health assessment, conducted by WHO in Ramadi where large numbers of displaced people remain, revealed inadequate supplies of medicines, shortages of doctors and other health professionals, lack of safe drinking-water, insufficient food and lack of electricity.

Currently, health services are delivered through primary health care centres and mobile clinics providing outpatient services, immunization, dressings and referral services, however, the acute shortage of fuel for ambulances is challenging the referral process.

With poor hygienic living conditions, compromised nutrition, and mental health trauma, internally displaced people are at a higher risk of communicable diseases, such as measles, acute diarrhoea and leishmaniasis. Patients with noncommunicable diseases (heart diseases, diabetes, cancer and respiratory infections) are also in acute need of services and medicines.

WHO's response to growing health needs

The growing number of displaced persons has increased the need for essential health services. WHO, the Ministry of Health of Iraq and other health partners, have been delivering essential medicines, medical health kits and other medical supplies to health facilities in Ramadi, Khalidiya, Al Baghdadi, Haditha, Amiriyat Al Falluja, Al Habaniya Tourist City, and many other areas inside the Anbar governorate.

Since 10 April 2015, 66 different types of kits (4 trauma kits, 50 basic and 2 supplementary interagency emergency health kits, 1 surgical kit and 9 units of diahorreal disease kits), in addition to other essential medicines were provided to the directorate of health in Anbar and the United Iraqi Medical Society (UIMS), a nongovernmental organization, to treat people displaced as a result of the conflict. The kits provided will allow provision of treatment to 71 623 people for 3 months.