ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Erbil hospitals treating civilians and soldiers wounded in the fight against ISIS in Mosul are overloaded and struggling to cope, a senior Kurdish health official said.
“The condition of the three hospitals that are taking in wounded from Mosul is very poor,” said Saman Barzinji, head of the Erbil health department.
“Out of the hospitals in Erbil, we have dedicated three for the Mosul operation,” he said at a news conference. “We don’t have a single bed that is available for either soldiers or civilians.”
Barzinji said that the hospitals were not only treating wounded Kurdish Peshmerga, but also Iraqi soldiers.
“Where else except hospitals in Erbil would the wounded be taken?” he asked, in response to a reporter’s question about where wounded Iraqi soldiers are treated.
Meanwhile Muhammed Hamasha, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaking at the same news conference, said a large number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Mosul are being settled inside camps in eastern Erbil.
“There has been excellent coordination (between Erbil and Baghdad) in responding to the humanitarian crisis in the region and elsewhere,” Hamasha said.
He called for the international community to financially aid the Kurdistan Regional Government so that hospitals can cope with the large numbers, noting that the KRG is in the midst of a severe financial crisis.
“The number of injuries is on the rise day after day, which requires continuous support for the hospitals,” the WHO representative added.
“WHO has provided substantial financial support, including ambulances. We now have 64 ambulances and 95 mobile clinics in the field,” Hamasha explained.
Hazim Jumaili, the number two man at the Iraqi health ministry, said that both the Iraqi government and the KRG are having to deal with a severe humanitarian crisis.
“The Kurdistan Region has been affected by the crisis the most,” he added.
IDPs at the Hassan Sham camp east of Mosul said that their most pressing problem is over potable water.
“I can’t say the condition is extremely bad but we are lacking drinking water,” said an elderly male IDP at the camp. “The water we have is not suitable for drinking.”
More than 70,000 people have been displaced from their homes since the start of the Mosul operation 46 days ago on Thursday, according to UN figures.
“We need the international community to react to the crisis of the IDPS in the region” Barzinji said.
