Seasonal diseases wane thanks to healthcare improvem

An improvement in healthcare in southern Iraq has led to a noticeable decrease in seasonal diseases such as cholera and malaria, local doctors and health officials said. “Last year, we had many cases of cholera and other such diseases,” said Dr. Ra'ad Salman, head of the health directorate in Basra. “But this year, thanks to improvements in the health sector, there were zero cases after August.” According to Salman, most of the hospitals in and around the southern city of Basra, have been recently renovated and outfitted with new equipment. “There is no longer a shortage of medicine,” he said. “Patients can get medication from the hospital without having to pay for it.” Based on studies conducted by Basra's health department, recorded cases of infection have been minimal in 2005. Only four cases of hepatitis have been reported so far this year, compared to more than 35 reported cases per month last year. “The government and aid agencies have been doing a great job in the south,” Salman noted. “There are no cases of polio, and our children are healthier.” Dr. Ali Ameer of Basra’s al-Faiha'a General Hospital agreed, saying that medical shortages had been daily occurrences last year. Now, he said, the hospital’s facilities were fully equipped. Ameer added that hospital staff had also received training, while new employees had joined the ranks of the medical sector, given the better salaries now on offer. Nevertheless, expensive or uncommon medicine, such as that used for cancer treatment, remains relatively hard to get hold of. Generally, these can only be found in private pharmacies at prohibitively high costs. “The cheapest cancer drug in our pharmacy is around $50, so few people can afford it,” Dr. Haydar Hussein, owner of a private drugstore in Basra, told IRIN. Public services, including the national health system, were severely disrupted following the imposition of UN sanctions on Iraq in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War. During the sanctions era, many vital medicines and medical equipment became next to impossible to acquire. The situation worsened in the immediate aftermath of the US-led invasion of the country in 2003. “During Saddam’s reign, and after the last war, I had to wait more than five hours for a simple check-up,” said 52-year-old Basra resident Akram Mussa. “Today, it doesn’t take longer than 10 minutes.” Omar al-Bakar, a senior official at the heath ministry, however, said the dearth of medical equipment remained a major problem in the capital. “For Baghdad residents, these problems persist,” he said. “And the lack of specialised professionals has exacerbated the dilemma.”