Doctors call for Immediate Aid to Iraqi Hospitals

The Medical Association for Prevention of War (Australia) today called on the Australian Government to provide substantial funding for health care in Iraq. The health care system, which was already devastated before the war by over 12 years of economic sanctions, requires immediately :

· large quantities of medical supplies for hospitals which are struggling to care for injured civilians;

· protection of health care facilities and workers from civil unrest and looting;

· the restoration of power and water supplies.

Association President Dr Sue Wareham said "As Australia has been part of the coalition to bomb Iraq, it is absolutely imperative that we ensure all injured Iraqis receive full medical care. The necessary funds must be made available, just as the funds for our military involvement were made available."

While the apparent end of the heavy bombardment which Baghdad has suffered will slow the number of new injuries, three weeks of bombing had strained hospitals beyond their capacity to cope.

Reports from UN agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross indicate not only that medical and surgical supplies, including anaesthetics, were very low, but that power and water shortages were hampering medical work. Some hospitals have had to cope with up to a hundred new wounded civilians per hour in recent days.

In addition disruption of clean water and power supplies in the cities will add greatly to the burden of ill-health of the Iraqi people, especially the children who are particularly vulnerable to infectious illness. These facilities must be restored urgently.

Dr Wareham stressed also that these funds must not be at the expense of aid projects to other countries. Australia's overseas aid is already unacceptably low. Nor is the provision of urgently needed health care a substitute for the enormous reconstruction needs which Iraq faces.

Contact for comment and interview:

(Canberra) Dr Sue Wareham, MAPW President via head office 0413 594 717

(Melbourne) Dr Tilman Ruff via head office

(Melbourne) Prof. Lou Irving, MAPW VIC Coordinator via head office

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Last Modified: Wednesday, 22-Feb-2006 14:20:46 EST
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