Rebuilding health care in Iraq

The effects of three wars within 25 years, a decade of international sanctions, and a brutal regime have had tragic consequences on Iraq’s health system and on the health of the Iraqi people. While the scale of these problems is becoming clearer, it has been difficult in the current security situation to know how best to respond to requests for help.

A workshop organised by the International Committee of the Faculty of Public Health (FPH) in November 2003 has now addressed this very issue. This paper describes the health service needs presented at the workshop by representatives from the Department for International Development (DFID), World Health Organisation (WHO), International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) and, most importantly, Iraq’s Ministry of Health. We will also consider current responses and how professional public health bodies from around the world might contribute to the development of Iraq’s health sector.