Baghdad In A State Of Healthcare Despair

Baghdad has been always the first to be hit, be it war or calamities. Similarly, it is the one which is revived first too. But today even after years of end of warfare, Baghdad is not yet immunized. It is still facing grave issues like poverty, illiteracy and most prominent one is severe diseases. Health care has been going through its gravest patch where hospitals and health centers are devoid of even basic facilities like clean water and emergency medicines. Likewise, patients are few in number as they are unable to bear the expenses for the medical amenities.

Baghdad's Healthcare Facilities are a disaster, and the Teeaching hospital is an example which says it all. This was one of the best hospitals in entire Baghdad and in the better days of Iraq this hospital had all the facilities needed to cure majority of the patients. Health care in Iraq though is seeing its bad days and every hospital including the Teaching hospital is struggling. There are neither enough oxygen cylinders nor are there enough beds to accommodate people. Hospitals don't even have the basics to complete the laboratory test and obvious shortage of IV fluids and medicines is making patients buy these goods from black marketers, needless to say at exploited costs.

Shortages are not temporary anymore and no one can answer the rationale behind it. But, health ministry employees are told to be the behind this. They tap drugs from hospitals and make profit from it and are never caught for it. Public hospitals all over Iraq have been exposed with their tales of missing medicines and non performing doctors leaving behind suffering patients. Bugs and filth is normal in hospitals and all this blame is collectively put on government. The problems of corruption may seem trivial but they are everywhere and cannot be neglected. Such are its after effect that it is hampering the whole rebuilding of Iraq under US funded initiatives.

There are many lives lost every day and even though the basic problem of freedom and money has been solved the health centers are not performing as effectively as they should. People are still urging for medicines at government rates and with violence under control, advancement in healthcare issues is highly expected. It is understood that the scars of war has remained on the face of Iraq but with timid normalcy coming in government norms, hopes are beginning to build.

Figures may be anecdotal but they do give us a rough idea of exceedingly high number of deaths due to medical treatment which was not made available. Amongst them too, children are the ones who are worst hit. The equipments' shortage has cost many lives and the private hospitals are cashing in making health care a shrewd little business.

Whatever might be the case, whether be corrupt health officers or improper channelization of things, one thing that is sure is that if quick and apt measures are not taken then Iraq is staring in the face of national health disaster.