Scores of doctors have fled the northern city of Mosul, some 360km north of Baghdad, after receiving a series of death threats, according to one provincial official.
In 2005, 66 doctors fled the city. "The number of threats increases daily," said Nineva Provincial Council head Salim al-Haj Essa. "This has forced 60 doctors to leave the city within the last three months." Nine others, he added, had been killed by unknown attackers.
The threats, which local doctors began receiving early last year, have persuaded scores of doctors to flee the city, with many seeking refuge in areas of the Kurdistan region or in neighbouring countries.
“A threatening letter was posted on my front door demanding $50,000 – otherwise my head would be chopped off," said one female doctor in Mosul, speaking anonymously. "I told the governor's office, but they said they couldn't do anything. Now I'm thinking of fleeing to Erbil as soon as my children finish their final exams."
Essa blamed the threats on local criminal gangs who have exploited the atmosphere of instability and deteriorating security to kidnap doctors – considered relatively well-paid – for ransom money. "We managed to arrest a few of the gang members, but discovered that the head of one of these networks worked as a hospital guard," said Essa, adding that the practice would persist until Iraqi authorities, and not US forces, take charge of national security.
According to Essa, the doctors’ exodus has also had a noticeable impact on public health. "There’s a real lack of doctors, so patients – especially victims of terrorist attacks – receive shabby treatment," he said.
Compared to other Iraqi cities, Mosul was relatively quiet in the medium-term aftermath of the 2003 US-led invasion of the country. This has changed in recent months, however, as foreign fighters and other insurgents have reportedly come to the city in order to escape military operations elsewhere in Iraq or after crossing over from Syria.
In 2005, 66 doctors fled the city. "The number of threats increases daily," said Nineva Provincial Council head Salim al-Haj Essa. "This has forced 60 doctors to leave the city within the last three months." Nine others, he added, had been killed by unknown attackers.
The threats, which local doctors began receiving early last year, have persuaded scores of doctors to flee the city, with many seeking refuge in areas of the Kurdistan region or in neighbouring countries.
“A threatening letter was posted on my front door demanding $50,000 – otherwise my head would be chopped off," said one female doctor in Mosul, speaking anonymously. "I told the governor's office, but they said they couldn't do anything. Now I'm thinking of fleeing to Erbil as soon as my children finish their final exams."
Essa blamed the threats on local criminal gangs who have exploited the atmosphere of instability and deteriorating security to kidnap doctors – considered relatively well-paid – for ransom money. "We managed to arrest a few of the gang members, but discovered that the head of one of these networks worked as a hospital guard," said Essa, adding that the practice would persist until Iraqi authorities, and not US forces, take charge of national security.
According to Essa, the doctors’ exodus has also had a noticeable impact on public health. "There’s a real lack of doctors, so patients – especially victims of terrorist attacks – receive shabby treatment," he said.
Compared to other Iraqi cities, Mosul was relatively quiet in the medium-term aftermath of the 2003 US-led invasion of the country. This has changed in recent months, however, as foreign fighters and other insurgents have reportedly come to the city in order to escape military operations elsewhere in Iraq or after crossing over from Syria.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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