Iraqi doctors appeal for help from doctors in other countries

EDITOR—The Iraqi Medical Association would like to thank the BMA for the donation of medical books and journals that it made to Iraqi medical schools and the association last year. Because of the sanctions on Iraq, however, none of the books have arrived yet and we have received only a few copies of the BMJ.

The sanctions have led to the deterioration of what was an extremely good national health service. In 2001, thousands of Iraqis are still dying from malnutrition, infectious diseases, and the effects of shortages or unavailability of essential drugs. More and more children are dying from cancer, probably related to contamination of the environment with depleted uranium.

Iraqi doctors are suffering greatly from the intellectual embargo. Recent medical textbooks and journals are difficult to obtain. It is extremely difficult for Iraqi doctors to travel abroad to attend medical conferences or training courses. In hospitals and clinics our doctors are facing great difficulties providing good medical service to their patients.

We appeal to the BMA and other doctors to help their Iraqi colleagues by:

• Publishing facts about the medical and social situation in Iraq

• Inviting Iraqi doctors to attend international and national meetings and training courses outside Iraq

• Inviting interested British doctors to visit Iraq and participate as lecturers in the intensive, up to date medical courses that the Iraqi Medical Association is planning to arrange

• Donating recent medical electronic publications to the Iraqi Medical Association (Cath02{at}uruklink.net).

The Iraqi Medical Association appeals to all readers to help get sanctions lifted completely from Iraq as this is the only real solution for the suffering of the Iraqi people.