The State of Health and Medical Services in Iraq: 

On the aftermath of the previous regime

Letter from Dr A Barnouti, Consultant Physician, Iraq, Summer 2003

The medical services has been devastated by three wars during the last 25 years plus 13 years of sanctions, and the negligence of the previous regime, the infrastructure including hospitals and medical clinics were damaged or destroyed, the medical services almost collapsed, the standards of medical schools deteriorated, the morale and scientific standard dropped, this dehumanization and insult was reflected on Patients, and patient care declined to near zero standards, many young doctors suffered from poverty and had to leave the medical profession and work in another job that pays money to live, many left the country. The young doctors suffered the most (house officers, senior house officers, registrars) they had no wrights as human beings, as doctors, or citizens, their salary was about 2 dollars a month!! the conditions in the medical residence were appalling , the food was terrible , the air Conditions were not working, the working hours were exhausting, all this was reflected on the patients which were treated badly, and they victims number one. The policy of the previous regime destroyed the scientific, moral, ethical, humanitarian, side of the medical profession,

Now after the regime has changed and the Security Council has approved lifting sanctions, we Iraqis are trying to rebuild our country. British Doctors were in Iraq and their contribution in establishing hospitals and medical colleges will never be forgotten,

We need help

We need help in all aspects, including medical journals, CD-ROMs, medical books, open internet access to the medical journals and libraries, refreshing training courses to update the senior doctors, jobs and possibly scholarships for junior doctors and post graduate studies, we will be honoured to invite lecturers to come to Baghdad, we also will look forward of having the part one of the MRCP FRCS MRCOG exam in Baghdad, as it was in the late seventies, when the security conditions are established  .

In the future would it be possible to consider to look into the prospect of establishing a new medical school and hospital (may be private sector) like the one in Lebanon (AUB) or the gulf.

We know that security must be established to start reconstruction of our medical social and economic infrastructure, and we hope that it will improve gradually in the future

We are confident that you will participate actively and dynamically