Iraqi
Kurds build factories, new roads
To
EU praises Turkey easing for 'positive signs'
PUK's
Letter to the Editor of The Daily Telegraph
Turkey
to ease emergency rule, paving way for EU
Iran,
Turkey crack down on illegal Iraqi immigrants
Kurdish
conditions for helping America to change Iraq’s regime
Health
Minister: Only 28% of Expected UN 986 Medicines Delivered
Birayeti
by:
Barham Ali
May 30, 2002
The [KRG Erbil] minister of health and social affairs, Dr Jamal Abd-al-Hamid, held a press conference yesterday, in which he openly pointed out that parts of the problems of health sector come from the slowness of the implementation of the UN Resolution 986. Although he thanked the relevant agencies and organizations, which have offered appropriate health services within the framework of the resolution, he said: throughout 10 phases of the resolution, only 28 percent of the medicines have been delivered to Kurdistan.
In reply to some questions from Brayati newspaper regarding the control of the sale of medicine and the problem of medicines in the black market, the minister of health said that a large part of the medicines, which could be found today in the black market, are smuggled outside the border. The existence of medicine retailers on the streets is a serious problem, which should be eradicated. We all should be cooperative, including the media channels, in settling this problem.
Regarding the problem of lack of certain vaccines for children, he pointed out that the health situation of Kurdistan children is, according to the official reports of the international organizations, better that the situation of children in the south of Iraq, and that, fortunately, not even a single case of polio in Kurdistan has been registered this year and other diseases have been completely eradicated; however despite that we still have problems of shortage in some vaccines. Some people, who are hostile to Kurdistan, hamper their import to Kurdistan. But efforts to make these vaccines available are ongoing.
The minister of health has openly criticized some private hospitals and doctors' clinics that their health services are not at the required level; that they do not care about the cleanliness of the hospitals and clinics, which could damage their reputation. He said that closing down of the streets' clinics would be done according to the law, appropriate solutions for health personnel would be found, and that the living condition of the nurses would be improved.