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Highlights for the Week:
• MOH Senior Advisor Visits Two Cardiac Care Centers
• MOH Officials meet with the World Health Community to Assess Priorities for
Rebuilding the Iraqi Health Care System
• MOH Senior Advisor and Interim Minister of Health attend World Bank/IMF
Annual Meeting
MOH Senior Advisor visits two
Cardiac Care Centers
BAGHDAD−Senior Adviser to the
Iraqi Ministry of Health, Mr. Jim
Haveman visited the Ibn Al Betar
Cardiac Center, formerly the
Saddam Cardiac Center, and the
Ibn Al Nafis Cardiac Center on
September 18, 2003.
Before a tour of the Ibn Al Betar
facility, Mr. Haveman and Dr.
Khudair Abbas, interim Minister
of Health, met with Dr. Hussein
Al Hall, the director of the center,
Mr. Jamal, the Arbil Minister of
Health, and the Sulaymaniyah
Minister of Health. Of the Ibn Al
Betar patients 40 percent are
children and 19 percent of these
are Kurds. The participants
discussed the need for outreach
to the Kurdish community−which
was neglected and underserved
by the former regime−and how
to increase the number of daily
surgeries at the facility.
Following this meeting, Mr.
Haveman toured the hospital and
was impressed by the work that
has been completed over the
past few months. Three of the
original eight operating rooms at
the facility have been restored
and the first surgery since April
was held September 17, 2003. A
basic schedule of surgeries will
resume with three operations a
day and plans to manage up to
10 surgeries a day in the
immediate future.
Mr. Haveman also visited the Ibn
Al Nafis cardiac center which
specializes in vascular and
cardiac diseases. Like many Iraqi
hospitals Ibn Al Nafis, needs new
equipment, technicians and
specialized nurses. However,
Director Mohammed Al Ameri and
the hospital’s main surgeon, Dr.
Moustafa Al Warid said the
surgeons still perform 8 to 10
operations a day in the two
functional surgical theaters, one
for thoracic and general vascular
surgery and one for open heart
surgery.
MOH is working with Ibn Al Nafis
to help implement their goals to
increase security, modernize
their equipment and to ensure
oxygen delivery on a regular
basis. The facility also hopes to
provide skills training in new
techniques and medicines for
Iraqi surgeons and increase the
number of specialized nurses as
a long term project.
MOH Officials meet with the
World Health Community to
Assess Priorities for
Rebuilding the Iraqi Health
Care System
AMMAN, Jordan−CPA and MOH
staff traveled to Amman, Jordan
to coordinate with United Nations
and World Bank representatives
on the immediate and long-term
health needs assessment for
Iraq. Participants in the meeting
included representatives from
WHO, UNFPA, WB, UNICEF and
CPA-MOH.
The three day conference
resulted in a comprehensive
document that was forwarded to
the World Bank/IMF annual
meeting held in Dubai this week
on global health issues, and will
be expanded, in collaboration
with World Bank and United
Nations representatives, in
preparation for the Iraq
International Donor Conference
to be held in Madrid October 23-
24, 2003.
MOH Senior Advisor and
Interim Minister of Health
attend World Bank/IMF
Annual Meeting
DUBAI, UAE−Senior Adviser
James Haveman, interim Minister
of Health Dr. Khudair Abbas and
his chief of staff, Mr Ammar al-
Saffar, are in Dubai to attend the
World Bank/IMF annual meeting.
They are participating in the
planning efforts on behalf of the
Ministry of Health for the
upcoming Donor’s conference.
The Dubai conference is the
second step in efforts leading up
to the International Donors
Conference in Madrid and
represents Dr. Abbas’ first official
outing abroad since being
appointed as the interim
minister.
For more information contact Col David Adams at adamsdv@orha.centcom.mil