Abstract: Health systems suffer a heavy toll in fragile and conflict affected states, and Iraq is an exemplifying case. An oil rich, land-locked nation in the West Asian continent, Iraq has a population of 34.81 million spread over 435,052 sq km. With a GDP of USD 220.5 billion and per capita income of USD 6320, Iraq ranks among upper middle income countries of the world. However over three decades of war, sanctions and occupation have collectively shaped the social realities of contemporary Iraq. Once known as the ‘Cradle of civilisation’, the modern-day identity of Iraq has come to be synonymous with al-Qaeda and Islamic State. Of all the areas affected by the internally driven as well as externally maneuvered chaos in Iraq, healthcare has taken the biggest hit; Iraq’s health system has now lost its reputation as a leading regional force in 1970s. The eight year long Iraq-Iran war, which lasted from 1980 to 1988 killed half a million people on both sides and led to progressive diversion of funds away from the health sector.
Title: Understanding the State of Health Care in Iraq: Post-2003 Invasion Scenario
Author: Divya Malhotra
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
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