Geographical Locations - Iraq

• (Statistical) Number of Inhabitants per Doctor: 1,064
• CIA World Factbook : Iraq

Organisations and Networks

UN and Multinational

• WHO
  - WHO Country Profile - Iraq
  - WHO - Tobacco control: Country Profile: Iraq
  - WHO - Environmental Burden of Disease: Country Profile – Iraq
• UNAMI United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq
• UNDP in Iraq
• UNHCR Resettlement of Iraqi Refugees
  This March 2007 document "sets forth UNHCR's resettlement policy for Iraqi refugees coming from Central and Southern Iraq (that is, Iraq with the exception of the three provinces of northern Iraq under the control of the Kurdish Regional Government). It applies primarily to Iraqi refugees living in countries of first asylum, namely Syria, Jordan and Turkey; but also applies to Iraqi refugees in countries of secondary movement in the Middle East such as Lebanon and Egypt as well as in other regions of the world."

Government

Non-Government

Academic Institutions

National Policy and Related Documents

Reports, Guidelines, and Projects

• Iraq Living Conditions Survey 2004
• Iraqi Refugees: Seeking Stability in Syria and Jordan
  "Over two million Iraqis are refugees in the Middle East, living in difficult conditions, primarily in Jordan and Syria. Their unresolved plight and their still largely unmet needs constitute a humanitarian crisis. Their presence has had an impact on the two countries where they are concentrated and, by extension, on the region as a whole. Although long hosts to Palestinian refugees, the countries of the Middle East have not been major refugee destinations in recent decades and this report raises questions about the limited regional response to a major refugee flow. At this point, most Iraqis and their hosts hope for a quick and peaceful end to the insecurity that has precipitated the flight, but events in Iraq raise serious doubts that their hopes will soon be fulfilled. Some Iraqis are hoping for resettlement in the United States and other countries of the west, a hope thus far available only to a very few. The report raises questions about the apparently limited ability of the US and other countries to mobilize a major resettlement effort similar to those that took place during the Cold War. More fundamental to the lives of the vast majority of the Iraqi refugees, it calls on the international community to launch a more robust humanitarian response that will assist and protect the Iraqi refugees while addressing the legitimate economic, political and security concerns of Jordan and Syria as hosts to such large numbers of refugees." [Institute for the Study of International Migration, Georgetown University and Center for International and Regional Studies Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, 2007]
• Iraq's Internally Displaced Persons: A Hidden Crisis
  "Internal displacement and refugee flight due to violence and instability have forced approximately 1 in 6 Iraqis from their homes. 1) The plight of persons displaced within Iraq by pervasive violence has received less attention than has the flood of Iraqi refugees into neighboring countries. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) within Iraq now number 2.8 million. 2) and are far less accessible to aid organizations than Iraqi refugees. 3) While the protection and care of refugees are covered in an international mandate, IDPs, fleeing for the same reasons as refugees, are covered by the weaker Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. 4) Political issues over sovereignty are at the root of this disparity." [JAMA, 2008; 300(6):727-729]
• Maternal, Child and Reproductive Health Strategy in Iraq, 2005-2008
  "The purpose of this document is to provide strategic directions for policy makers, health care providers on the health of women and children in Iraq in order to act upon achieving the recommended plan of action in order to improve quality of life for women and children in specific, and the total population in general. The strength of this document comes from the fact that the document was developed by Iraqi health planners, health care providers (Physicians, Nurses, midwives, pharmacists) and decision makers. Ministry of Health, Ministry of Higher Education, Iraqi non governmental organizations and International organizations also participated in series of consultations and national seminars in the development of document which has started with 7 days workshop in June 2-7, 2004 on 'Maternal Child Health and Reproductive Health strategy'. The workshop was organized by WHO in collaboration with MOH/UNICEF/UNFPA." [Ministry of Health in Iraq, WHO,UNICEF,UNFPAP, and WFP, c2004]
• Securing Health: Lessons from Nation Building Missions
  This monograph presents the results of research conducted by the RAND Corporation on the health component of nation-building operations. The purpose of the research was to analyze the activities that countries, international institutions, and non-governmental organizations undertake in rebuilding public health and health care delivery systems after major conflict. In addition, this monograph outlines key principles for the success of such reconstruction efforts and identifies lessons for future nation-building operations.
• The Human Cost of the War in Iraq: A Mortality Study, 2002-2006
  A new household survey of Iraq has found that approximately 600,000 people have been killed in the violence of the war that began with the U.S. invasion in March 2003. The survey was conducted by an American and Iraqi team of public health researchers. Data were collected by Iraqi medical doctors with analysis conducted by faculty of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health… The survey is the only population-based assessment of fatalities in Iraq during the war. The method, a survey of more than 1800 households randomly selected in clusters that represent Iraq’s population, is a standard tool of epidemiology and is used by the U.S. Government and many other agencies. The survey also reflects growing sectarian violence, a steep rise in deaths by gunshots, and very high mortality among young men. An additional 53,000 deaths due to non-violent causes were estimated to have occurred above the pre-invasion mortality rate, most of them in recent months, suggesting a worsening of health status and access to health care. Methods: Between May and July 2006 a national cluster survey was conducted in Iraq to assess deaths occurring during the period from January 1, 2002, through the time of survey in 2006. Information on deaths from 1,849 households containing 12,801 persons was collected. This survey followed a similar but smaller survey conducted in Iraq in 2004. Both surveys used standard methods for estimating deaths in conflict situations, using population-based methods. Key Findings: Death rates were 5.5/1000/year pre-invasion, and overall, 13.2/1000/year for the 40 months post-invasion. We estimate that through July 2006, there have been 654,965 “excess deaths” — fatalities above the pre-invasion death rate — in Iraq as a consequence of the war. Of post-invasion deaths, 601,027 were due to violent causes. Non-violent deaths rose above the pre-invasion level only in 2006. Since March 2003, an additional 2.5% of Iraq’s population have died above what would have occurred without conflict. The proportion of deaths ascribed to coalition forces has diminished in 2006, though the actual numbers have increased each year. Gunfire remains the most common reason for death, though deaths from car bombing have increased from 2005. Those killed are predominantly males aged 15-44 years. [publication summary] [Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; School of Medicine, Al Mustansiriya University, Baghdad, Iraq; in cooperation with the Center for International Studies. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts – 2006]
• War on Iraq: the public health perspective
  "The extent to which public health practitioners and researchers focus on health risks seems to be incongruous with the extent to which they pay attention to war and its atrocities on ordinary citizens throughout the world. Let us examine the war against Iraq waged by the United States, the United Kingdom, and their allies. What are the health consequences for the citizens of Iraq, Israel, Palestine, or elsewhere in the Middle East? Could public health workers have done something to voice their concerns, or at least express their views about the negative health consequences, economic losses, and above all, social injustice? Epidemiologists do not need a case-control study or cohort study to document the magnitude of the risk factor — war. They should be able to evaluate the quantum of the death toll, and the incidence of serious injury and of associated adversity and morbidity — famine, infectious diseases, mental trauma — all atrocities resulting from the breakdown of the social fabric. The list is endless. The environmental health expert should also estimate the consequential damage to the environment—from damage to the flora and fauna to the effects of toxic residue on people, the contamination of the water and soil, and the potential breakdown of the ecosystem." [Hong Kong Med J, Vol 9, No 4, August 2003, p.306]

Educational Resources

• WWW Virtual Library: Iraq
• ArabNet: Iraq - excellent resources
• CDC - Travel Information: Middle East
• Library of Congress, Country Study: Iraq