IRAQ – The World Health Organization (WHO), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the European Commission Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) have extended their strategic partnership to deliver the full spectrum of essential, quality health services in Iraq.
Through the new contribution from USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) and the ECHO, WHO is set to make a significant impact on the lives of an estimated 800,000 vulnerable people.
The collaborative project is aimed at strengthening essential primary, referral, and preventive healthcare services in conflict-affected governorates of Iraq.
The project has a particular focus on camps and informal settlements for internally displaced people (IDPs), out-of-camps, and secondary displacement locations as well as host communities.
It comes at a pivotal moment for Iraq as it seeks to assist the most vulnerable people in the conflict-affected governorates, including Anbar, Duhok, Erbil, Kirkuk, Ninawa, and Sulaymaniyah governorates.
Lauding the new contribution, Dr. Wael Hatahit, Acting WHO Representative in Iraq, stated: “We are grateful for BHA and EU’s support and partnership, which enabled us to reach tens of thousands of people in need of support.”
WHO’s focus in the years to come lies on strengthening the primary healthcare sector, with subsequent extensions to secondary and tertiary levels.
The WHO-led project covers the provision of essential medicines and medical equipment for primary healthcare centers in conflict-affected governorates.
In Iraq, certain healthcare facilities serving populations with humanitarian concerns are gradually phasing out their operations.
The WHO project responds to the urgent need for robust primary healthcare centers that serve both host communities and remaining groups of IDPs and refugees.
As WHO transitions from humanitarian response to development and resilience building in the health sector, the project will continue to evolve accordingly.
Commenting on the partnership with BHA and EU, Dr. Hatahit said: “This partnership has a significant contribution to reducing avoidable morbidity and mortality in vulnerable populations in Iraq.”
Through the new contribution from USAID’s BHA and the ECHO, the World Health Organization will further strengthen Iraq’s capacity to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies.
The first phase of the project’s execution has helped vulnerable people to access critical medical equipment needed for essential primary healthcare and referral services in underserved areas.
The project has supported 22 primary healthcare centers in six governorates, including providing over 1.6 million consultations using primary healthcare centers and about half a million consultations using mobile medical clinics.
The project also includes interventions in mental health and psychosocial support services for women at health facilities.
It also focuses on timely detecting and responding to common communicable disease outbreaks by strengthening the Early Warning, Alert, and Response Network (EWARN).
Additionally, the project covers other crucial outbreak response activities in IDP camps and returnee locations involving reports of outbreak alerts and verification of these alerts.
“This project is essential in ensuring that people in need of humanitarian assistance in Iraq have access to quality healthcare services,” underscored Dr. Hatahit.
In the coming months, the WHO, USAID, and the ECHO plan to expand the ongoing project to include additional programs that will contribute to better healthcare outcomes in Iraq.
WHO is working closely with the Ministry of Health of Iraq and related sectors to identify priorities and guide the health sector on preparedness, effective and efficient response to health and healthcare requirements.
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