Overview
Decades of conflict have had a serious impact on the Iraqi health-care system and on the ability of civilians to obtain appropriate treatment. The ICRC has been supporting the system by delivering regular and emergency supplies to hospitals and, more importantly, by providing training for Iraqi doctors and nurses on war surgery, trauma management, infection control and delivery of first aid. "These seminars are important not only because of the topics covered but also because of what they teach us about sharing information and communicating with patients, something not generally taught in our system today," said Dr Jawad Ramadan, one of the surgeons participating in a three-day seminar on war surgery held in December for 40 doctors from different parts of the country. The seminar was organized by the ICRC in cooperation with Iraq's Ministry of Health and with the Ministry of Health of the Kurdistan regional government.
Another 26 doctors and nurses attended a course on emergency-room trauma, and 21 volunteers from the Iraqi Red Crescent Society were given advanced training in proper first-aid delivery. "Courses such as these aim at improving the quality of health care provided for civilians, in particular by enabling medical staff to better cope with emergency situations and mass casualties," said Cedric Clerc, the ICRC delegate in charge of the training programme in Iraq.
The ICRC also provides the Iraqi health authorities with support for limb-fitting centres and physical rehabilitation programmes. An annual seminar on providing prostheses, orthoses and wheelchairs for disabled people recently held in Erbil was attended by 57 participants, including managers, technicians, physiotherapists and representatives of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Higher Education. In addition, two prosthetists/orthotists and one physiotherapist from the ICRC-supported limb-fitting centre in Najaf attended a course on adapting wheelchairs to patients' needs and training patients in their use.
The ICRC recently completed a two-year reconstruction project at Al Jumhury General Hospital in Kirkuk, the main hospital in the governorate, which serves around 750,000 people. "This project, one of our biggest worldwide, gives an important boost to medical care in the area," said Laurent Poli, an ICRC water engineer working in Iraq. "We completely refurbished five of the 13 buildings in the hospital complex as well as the water supply and sewage systems."
Visiting detainees
The ICRC regularly visits detention facilities run by various Iraqi ministries and the US authorities, where it monitors conditions of detention and the treatment of detainees. In December, ICRC delegates visited detainees:
● held under the authority of the Ministry of Justice in Fort Suse, Sulaimaniya governorate, and in Nasiriya correctional prison, Thi-Qar governorate;
● held under the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior in Tasfirat Kirkuk, Kirkuk governorate, in Tasfirat Diwaniya, Diwaniya governorate and in the Counter-Terrorism Directorate, Baghdad governorate;
● held under the authority of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and various security forces in northern Iraq in five prisons in Erbil, Dohuk and Sulaimaniya governorates.
In addition, the ICRC started repairing the sewage lifting station in the Counter-Terrorism Directorate, which will allow safe disposal of sewage from this place of detention and from the women's section of Russafa prison, located in the same compound.
Disabled detainees in Chamchamal prison, Sulaimaniya governorate, were given crutches.
Over 4,000 Red Cross messages were exchanged between detainees and their families in December. The ICRC and the Iraqi Red Crescent Society work together to ensure that detainees and their families can stay in touch and exchange family news.
Clarifying what happened to missing persons
Thousands of families still do not know what happened to their loved ones who went missing in the various conflicts that have afflicted Iraq. The ICRC continues to support the efforts of the authorities to determine the whereabouts of thousands of people still unaccounted for as a result of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War and the 1990-1991 Gulf War. Since 2003, the organization has been training local forensic experts in the identification and management of mortal remains.
In December, the Kuwaiti authorities handed over to the Ministry of Human Rights and Al Zubair Centre of Iraq the remains of three unknown Iraqis under the auspices of the ICRC. Once identified, the remains will be handed over to the families, who will finally be able to turn the page on a long and painful chapter of their lives.
Bringing aid to vulnerable people
The ICRC has maintained its support for people facing special difficulties earning a living and supporting their families, such as women heading households and people with disabilities, and its efforts to help communities earn income and achieve economic self-sufficiency. In December:
● more than 36,000 displaced people (IDPs) living in group settlements in Diyala, Salah Al-Din and Kirkuk governorates were given kitchen sets, thermoses, teapots, kettles, jerrycans, buckets, blankets, hygiene kits and tarpaulins to help them cope with the harsh winter conditions;
● more than 2,200 households headed by women were given monthly food parcels and hygiene items in Baghdad, Diyala, Salah Al-Din and Ninawa governorates;
● about 94 disabled people in Erbil, Dohuk, Sulaimaniya and Ninawa governorates benefited from projects enabling them to start small businesses and regain economic self-sufficiency.
Providing clean water and sanitation
ICRC water engineers continued to repair and upgrade water, electrical and sanitation facilities all over Iraq. The aim was to enhance access for civilians to clean water and improve the quality of services provided in communities and health-care facilities. In December, ICRC engineers:
● built a consultation building in Al Qaim General Hospital, Al Qaim district, which was severely damaged amid fighting in 2005. The new structure enables the hospital to treat up to 1,000 patients per day;
● built a primary health-care centre in Nizary, Soran district, serving around 1,500 people from 60 villages in the remote area of Sidakan sub-district, near the Turkish border;
● completed construction of a paediatric unit in Sinjar Hospital, Ninawa governorate, serving around 300,000 people;
● replaced the pumps and carried out maintenance work on the chemical treatment units in Habaniya water treatment plant, Anbar governorate, to increase the quantity and improve the quality of water delivered to about 30,000 people;
● fully repaired Ramadi water treatment plant, the largest such facility in Anbar governorate, serving around 450,000 people;
● replaced the chemical treatment units in 14 compact units around Babil governorate providing potable water for 180,000 inhabitants;
● repaired the filtration and chlorine systems in Taza water treatment plant, Kirkuk governorate, providing drinking water for 25,000 people;
● renovated Tabat Al-Kurd boosting station in Baghdad, serving 4,000 people in the area of Al-Fadhil;
● repaired four boreholes in the Jabara area, Diyala governorate, to increase the quantity of water delivered to 7,000 people;
● supplied and installed four pumps and conducted repair works in Khawaja Khalil water treatment plant, Ninawa governorate, providing water for 60,000 people.
Water was delivered by truck to:
● 4,500 displaced people in Sadr City and 340 displaced people in Husseinia and Ma'amil and in Baghdad Teaching Hospital, all in Baghdad governorate;
● Qalawa Quarter camp in Sulaimaniya, hosting around 360 displaced people.
Promoting international humanitarian law
Reminding parties to a conflict of their obligation to protect civilians is a fundamental part of the ICRC’s work. The organization also endeavours to promote international humanitarian law within civil society. In this framework, a series of presentations were organized for various audiences all over Iraq which included military personnel, students and professors.
