Iraq health sector background paper

It discusses the sociocultural and physical environment of health, development sectors that impact on health, population, health status, infrastructure of health services, health resources, food supply and nutrition, environmental health, and national development planning and health policy. Schistosomiasis, malaria, ancylosomiasis and leishmaniasis have been endemic in Iraq for several thousand years. Trachoma and other eye infections have been common for centuries. Improvements in the quality of the water supply and waste disposal systems will contribute to the control of these diseases. Isolation of rural communities makes it difficult to deal with health problems. Industrialization has been accompanied by the usual health related problems. Information concerning nutritional status is limited, but the macro-indicators of food production and available supply of nutrients suggest serious deficits. The supply of facilities and manpower is inadequate for the provision of minimal health care for the majority of the population. There are few physicians, and there is a shortage of auxiliary medical manpower. The new Iraqi development plan should indicate the direction of the health system for the next five years. This plan is the first written one since the oil price increase, and it should reflect the growth in financial resources. The government hopes to improve preventive care through the construction of preventive care health posts and through the continuation of the malaria eradication program and of the project fighting against tuberculosis. Fifty-five water systems will be expanded and eighty-six new projects will be started to provide more potable water.