War Killed 55,000
Iraqi Civilians
By Shaista Aziz
Aljazeera
13 November 2003,
The
invasion, war and occupation of Iraq has cost up to 55,000 civilian
lives, according to a shocking new report published by a UK-based charity.
Now the medical
charity is lobbying the American and British governments to focus urgently
on the healthcare needs of the Iraqi population, following the invasion
of the country.
Medact's report,
highlighting the devastating impact of war on the Iraqi population,
reveals that between 22,000 and 55,000 Iraqi civilians died during the
bombing of the country.
The report titled,
Continuing Collateral Damage: the Health and Environmental costs of
War on Iraq, says the American and British occupiers are obliged under
international law to ensure the healthcare needs of the population are
met.
Findings
One of the co-authors
of the report, Dr Sabya Faruq, told Aljazeera.net that the situation
across Iraq was desperate.
''There has been
a reported increase in maternal mortality rates, acute malnutrition
has almost doubled from 4% to 8% in the last year and there has been
an increase in water-borne disease and vaccine-preventable diseases.''
Iraq has a population
of 25 million people, half of whom are under the age of 18. Children
are particularly vulnerable in post-war Iraq, with one in four not receiving
immunisation against measles since Saddam Hussein was removed from power.
The charity says
that mines and unexploded bombs are continuing to kill and maim. The
effects of chemicals, such as depleted uranium used by invading forces,
on civilians could take decades to manifest.
Pre-Conflict
Dr Faruq has told
Aljazeera.net that before the recent invasion of Iraq, the country had
a poor record on healthcare, but the situation now is at breaking point.
'Iraq was never
a third world country, it had a fairly developed healthcare system that
was able to deliver to the population'
Dr Sabya Faruq,
Medact
In 1990, the UN development index, which ranks countries in terms of
provisions of healthcare, education and life expectancy rates, placed
Iraq 50th out of 130 countries. By 2003 and before the recent invasion
of the country, Iraq had dropped to 126th out of 174 countries.
''Iraq was never
a third world country, it had a fairly developed infrastructure and
healthcare system that was able to deliver to the population. Now, the
escalating violence in post-war Iraq is creating huge problems.
''The effects of
the war will impact on the healthcare of future generations and, with
the way things stand, the situation will get worse.''
Support
Medact is also calling
for better support for Iraqi doctors and healthcare workers who are
working under increasingly difficult conditions ''This report hasn't
even touched on the trauma that doctors in Iraq have been and are suffering.
They are working on the frontline and are subjected to violence themselves
on an almost daily basis.''
Dr Faruq says that
it is important for doctors and development workers to speak up about
what is really happening in Iraq.
''Healthcare workers
have a duty to speak out and let the outside world know about what's
happening in Iraq. We have to speak up to make sure that civilians aren't
suffering any more than they already are.''
The charity is calling on the UN to send peacekeepers to Iraq so that
humanitarian and reconstruction work can begin.
Download
A Copy of the Report