Accomplishments: Health

Weekly Update #9 USAID provides grants to the Ibn Al-Qiff Spinal Cord Injury Hospital Baghdad, Iraq Accomplishments: Health A healthy population is vital to development and economic growth. Health conditions in Iraq deteriorated substantially under Saddam Hussein. By 2003, almost a third of the children in the south and central part of the country were malnourished. Low breastfeeding rates, high rates of anemia among women, low birth weight, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections caused one in eight children to die before their fifth birthday. After the conflict, services were disrupted and equipment, medicine, and supplies looted. USAID is helping the Ministry of Health restore basic services so healthy workers can return to work and healthy children can be educated. USAID will ensure services to vulnerable populations, including treatment of acute malnutrition and vaccinations. Over the next two years, USAID will assist the Ministry of Health to increase the professional skills of its health workers and administrators so that they can reduce the mortality rate of children under five years of age. Iraqi women and children wait to see a doctor at a primary health care center in the Al-Kargh district of Baghdad, Iraq. (Photo: Thomas Hartwell) Over 30 million doses of vaccines have been procured by the Ministry of Health (MOH) since July, supported by USAID and UNICEF. An estimated 3 million Iraqi children under the age of 5 have been vaccinated. The full amount of vaccines supported by USAID will benefit 4.2 million children under the age of five and 700,000 pregnant women. Rehabilitated 20 delivery rooms serving more than 300,000 residents of Basrah Developed a standard set of specifications for equipping primary health care clinics. More than 60 primary health clinics are being renovated and over 600 re-equipped to provide life saving health services More than 100,000 pregnant, nursing mothers and malnourished children under 5 years have received 2.5 kg of high protein biscuit supplementary food rations. Evaluated 18 national and regional public health laboratories for equipment needs. Completed the rehabilitation of the National Polio Laboratory. Began the training of more than 8000 health workers to identify and treat acutely malnourished children. Working with the Iraqi Ministry of Health to develop a Master Plan that will reduce child mortality and increase the level of preventative care available to the Iraqi people. Restoring Health Care: Child Survival and Basic Health in Iraq - 11/18/03 (PDF) USAID Cooperation with UN Agencies in Iraq - 10/24/03 Iraq Update: Rebuilding Essential Health Services - 09/03 (PDF) Transcript: Health Sectoral Conference - 09/25/03 U.S. Government Assistance to Iraqi Health Services USAID Sponsors Iraq's National Vaccination Day - 07/23/03 Iraqi Nursing Association Receives U.S. Grant - 07/22/03 National Iraqi Nurses Conference Convenes in Baghdad - 07/16/03 Transcript: Health Update - 06/26/03 USAID Awards Health Contract for Iraq - 04/30/03 USAID Grants $10 Million to World Health Organization for Iraq - 03/28/03 USAID Announces Grant to UNICEF for Health, Water and Sanitation Services in Iraq - 03/28/03