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 The BBC's Barbara Plett reports from Amman"Medicines, disinfectants and basic health supplies are scarce"  real 28k |
Iraq's survival 'under threat'
Hospitals do not have enough medicines
The very survival of the Iraqi people is under threat following two wars and 10 years of sanctions, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said.
An ICRC report said Iraq's collapsed health facilities and badly damaged water sanitation system posed the gravest dangers.
An ICRC report said Iraq's collapsed health facilities and badly damaged water sanitation system posed the gravest dangers.
Food shortages and lack of medicines and clean drinking water threaten the Iraqi people's very survival  |
Red Cross report
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"Deteriorating living conditions, inflation and low salaries make people's everyday lives a continuing struggle, while food shortages and lack of medicines and clean drinking water threaten their very survival," it said.
Even if sanctions were lifted immediately, "it would take years for the country to return to the same standards as before the (1991) Gulf War", the report said.
The findings fuel a volatile debate over the impact of sanctions, which can only be lifted when the West is convinced Iraq has disarmed.
Two senior UN aid officials resigned last month, saying the strict economic embargo was hurting civilians and not the regime.
Even if sanctions were lifted immediately, "it would take years for the country to return to the same standards as before the (1991) Gulf War", the report said.
The findings fuel a volatile debate over the impact of sanctions, which can only be lifted when the West is convinced Iraq has disarmed.
Two senior UN aid officials resigned last month, saying the strict economic embargo was hurting civilians and not the regime.
 Iraqis queueing for food handouts
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American officials said the Iraqi Government was responsible for the country's misery because it had not complied with terms for lifting sanctions.
On Tuesday, the US State Department accused Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of ignoring his people's needs and spending lavishly to buy the loyalty of top officials with revenue from oil smuggling.
However the BBC's Barbara Plett in Amman says the US does appear to be considering greater flexibility on Iraqi import requests.
A decade of sanctions
The report, Iraq: A decade of sanctions, outlined ICRC activity in Iraq following the Iran-Iraq war and the Gulf War.
"The population, in particular doctors, technicians and teachers, are now exposed to Third World problems which they had never been prepared to deal with," it said.
The report profiled four hospitals and a health centre visited last year by ICRC members.
It concluded that the once-sophisticated health system had been particularly damaged by sanctions because of its reliance on imported equipment.
Doctors faced a lack of disinfectants, clean water, medicines and basic supplies, as well as having to contend with crumbling infrastructure, it said.
ICRC officials said the report was intended to justify to donors why the relief organisation has had to increase its budget and operations in the country.
On Tuesday, the US State Department accused Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of ignoring his people's needs and spending lavishly to buy the loyalty of top officials with revenue from oil smuggling.
However the BBC's Barbara Plett in Amman says the US does appear to be considering greater flexibility on Iraqi import requests.
A decade of sanctions
The report, Iraq: A decade of sanctions, outlined ICRC activity in Iraq following the Iran-Iraq war and the Gulf War.
"The population, in particular doctors, technicians and teachers, are now exposed to Third World problems which they had never been prepared to deal with," it said.
The report profiled four hospitals and a health centre visited last year by ICRC members.
It concluded that the once-sophisticated health system had been particularly damaged by sanctions because of its reliance on imported equipment.
Doctors faced a lack of disinfectants, clean water, medicines and basic supplies, as well as having to contend with crumbling infrastructure, it said.
ICRC officials said the report was intended to justify to donors why the relief organisation has had to increase its budget and operations in the country.
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