WHO supported the establishment of two prefab clinics in Ameriyt Al-Fallujah and Al-Nakheeb districts in Al-Anbar governorate, west of Iraq. These clinics were opened officially on 18 April 2015 and will be managed by a national medical NGO (United Iraqi Medical Society- UIMS) which is a WHO implementing partner.
WHO supported UIMS with the delivery of needed essential medicines and other health technologies as a start-up stock. Items delivered include 13 different medicines and four Inter-agency Emergency Health Kits- (IEHK) sufficient to approximately cover 100,000 populations for the duration of three months.
Taking stock of reported shortages and increased demands, WHO has shipped a number of medicines and health technologies to health facilities serving Internally Displaced People in different governorates hosting refugees as well. In Suleimaniya on 30 March 2015, WHO delivered two urgently requested items: i) Glucose Water serving an average of 500 patients for approximately 4 months and ii) Normal Saline sufficient for an average of 850 patients for the duration of 17 days to the Maternity Teaching Hospital. The number of IDPs and Refugee patients received by the hospital in January and February 2015 was (2463) and (2707) respectively.
“WHO must respond to the request made by the Ministry of Health of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Directorate of Preventive Health in order to save lives” Dr Jaffar Hussain WHO Representative and Head of Mission in Iraq said. He further explained that “the increased number of IDPs and Refugee patients seeking medical care continues to burden the already exhausted health facilities in this governorate. Without urgent funding support WHO and health partners cannot meet these needs; the shortage of medicines and supplies will increase enlarging the impact of the emergency on the health of over 5 million in need population”
In Duhok on 31 March, WHO delivered to Duhok Directorate of Health five pallets of medicines and health technologies containing ten urgently requested items such as medicines to treat Chronic Diseases, specially Hypertension, Diabetes and Asthma. The delivered supplies are sufficient to approximately treat 15,000 patients for the duration of two to three months based on the caseload and severity of conditions.
The need to procure and distribute essential medicines throughout Iraq is vital for the provision of health services to IDPs, refugees and hosting communities. WHO and health partners are urgently appealing for $133 Million.
For further information, please contact: –
Ms. Ajyal Sultany, Communications Officer, WHO Iraq Office, sultanya@who.int, +964 7510 101 469
Ms. Pauline Ajello, Communications and Donor Relations, WHO Iraq Office, ajellopa@who.int, +964 7809 288 618