Construction of 150 new health centers starts

 

By Anwar Jumaa

 

Azzaman, 2004-12-30

 

Iraq’s health ministry is building 150 modern health centers at a cost of $37 million, the ministry said in a statement.

 

The statement, obtained by the newspaper, said the construction was made possible when international donors agreed to release part of the funds they had pledged for Iraqi reconstruction.

 

Dr. Niama Saeed, the ministry’s health care director, told Azzaman the new centers will be supplied with latest medical equipment and will offer a variety of services.

 

“Maternity care, vaccination of children, dental care, ex-ray and combat of communicable diseases will top these centers’ priorities,” Saeed said.

 

The new centers, he said, are not meant to serve the health needs of urban centers alone.

 

Many of them, he added, will be constructed in towns, districts and villages whose inhabitants normally find it difficult to visit major hospitals.

 

At least 21 of these centers will be supplied with maternity and emergency wards and will be open round the clock, Saeed said.

 

Each center will have its own ambulances and annexes which will include, among other things, houses and flats for the medical staff and employees, he said.

 

The construction comes amid reports that Iraq’s health system is currently in a far worse condition than before the war.

 

In September, the British medical group Medact conducted surveys with international aid groups and Iraqi health workers.

 

They exposed poor sanitation in many hospitals, shortages of drugs and qualified staff and huge gaps in services for mothers and children.