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Almost one week of continuous fighting in Basra, Baghdad and other governorates has left hundreds of people dead and many more wounded.
While some areas in Baghdad and Basra remain tense, people began to move freely again this morning.
Fearing another deterioration in the situation, they stocked up on food, water and other essential goods.
Hospitals have used up stocks of vital medical items and require further supplies to cope with the influx of wounded patients.
Access to water remains a matter of concern in certain areas.
Life-saving medical services affected by the fighting Life-saving medical services have been affected by the fighting in Basra, Baghdad and elsewhere in the country.
“Several ambulances were hit in Basra and some were not allowed to reach injured persons in urgent need of medical care,” said Juan-Pedro Schaerer, head of the ICRC delegation for Iraq.
“It is the duty of the parties to the conflict to provide safe passage for ambulances and to spare the wounded and those taking care of them.” Parties to the conflict must allow medical services to carry out their activities unhindered and medical supplies to reach hospitals.
ICRC assistance The ICRC is about to deliver eight tonnes of medical supplies to four hospitals in Baghdad and to hand over a further six tonnes to the Department of Health in Kut for the Kut, Hilla and Najaf hospitals.
In recent days the ICRC has received several requests for emergency supplies from hospitals in Baghdad.
On 30 March, the ICRC delivered to Imam Ali General Hospital in Sadr City and to Baghdad General Hospital three tonnes of supplies, including pharmaceuticals, dressings, sutures, anaesthetics, and other surgical consumables – enough to treat about 200 patients.
In addition, the ICRC supplied Al Yarmouk Teaching Hospital, west of the capital, with enough suture modules to treat 200 patients.
A total of 700 family parcels, each containing a one-month supply of food, which had been provided for the Social Welfare Organization by the ICRC before the recent fighting, have been distributed to needy families in Sadr City.
For further information, please contact:
Dorothea Krimitsas, ICRC Geneva, tel.
+41 22 730 25 90 or +41 79 251 93 18
Hicham Hassan, ICRC Iraq, tel.
+962 777 399 614 or +962 6 552 39 94
See also ICRC media contacts
This article on www.icrc.org
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
