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The
Iraqi Ministry of Health has confirmed the information that was
reported in a study published a week ago by the United Nations
Population Fund. According to the study, the mortality rate of
Iraqi women during pregnancy and childbirth has reached three
times the rate reported during the period between 1989 and 2002.
Dr.
Khalid Abdul Wahab Al-Rawi, assistant to the president of the
Baghdad Health Department, told IslamOnline’s correspondent
that the information reported in the study is correct and that
between 50 to 70 per cent of pregnant women suffer from
dangerous diseases, such as malaria and anemia. “I confirm the
report’s finding that only 60 per cent of Iraqi women undergo
medical supervision during pregnancy in comparison with the 78
per cent in 1996,” said Dr. Al-Rawi. “Owing to the sanctions
that lasted more than a decade, Iraqi physicians have not been
able to keep up to date with developments in medicine and
medical technology,” he added.
According
to the report, hemorrhage, ectopic pregnancies and extended
labor are the main causes behind the increase in the
mortality rate from 117 out of 100,000 cases in 1989 to 310
cases last year. The report cited the lack of medical care due
to the deterioration of the security situation, scarcity of
transportation to hospitals and the prevalence of home births
without the assistance of a qualified professional as the root
causes of this increase.
In
an interview with IslamOnline’s correspondent, Dr. Sumayya
Ahmad Al-Shama`a, director of the Birthing Hospital in the
Al-Mansoor area, said:
The
report might not be accurate; I think that the actual mortality
rate of pregnant women is higher than that stated in the report,
especially in the suburbs and outlying towns and villages, where
medical service is virtually non-existent owing to the lack of
safety and security; and it is no wonder considering the fact
that hospitals still lack basic health care requirements, let
alone medical equipment and the necessary medicines. The
breaking into various departments and the theft of medical
equipment still constitute a major obstacle that negatively
affects the performance of medical staff, and because of the
lack of security, pregnant women are unable to arrive at
hospitals and clinics in time.
Dr.
Al-Shama`a called for conducting medical training courses at
hospitals and clinics to rehabilitate medical personnel and
update them on the latest international scientific and medical
developments, which they could not keep up with during the 10
years of sanctions.
Dr.
Najla’a Abdul Qadir from the Al-Hilal Birthing Hospital said:
The
hardships during the trying times resulted in the deterioration
of the medical situation. Because of sanctions, which lasted for
many years, we were denied access to medicines and medical
equipment and could not keep up with developments in the medical
field. What also led us to this situation was the lack of
interest officials at the Ministry of Health displayed in
providing up-to-date medical training for health care workers or
improving their skills. Today, with the major changes in Iraq
and the lifting of sanctions, we call for providing medical care
to protect millions of women and girls; we call for providing
access to information and services to decrease maternal deaths
and improve the health care situation in Iraq; we call for
providing all the necessary equipment and medications,
especially modern medicine, which we are in dire need of – we
do not know what has happened to the tens of tons of medicine
that were sent in aid from the United Nations and friendly
nations.
Dr.
Numair Abdul Sattar, director of the Health Complex in
Al-Sayidia, said:
It
is shameful to cite the tremendous shortage of medical equipment
and medicine as the cause of the high mortality rate among
pregnant women in Iraq, a country considered to be one of the
richest countries in the world. The situation is further
aggravated by the lack of security, reaching levels lower than
those of poorer and less developed countries. The responsibility
of saving the lives of thousands of women falls primarily on the
Ministry of Health. The medical community and health
establishments and clinics are urged to exert greater effort to
avert further deterioration of the health care situation. The
new government has to focus on health care, a sector that was
neglected by the previous government, which squandered millions
on weapons and war.
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