BAGHDAD, Iraq – Even without counting victims from the ongoing war, up to three million people across Iraq suffer from physical disabilities, coping with life without any special facilities as laws to help them fail to be implemented.
War and some of its consequences – including terrorism and traffic accidents – are the main reasons for so many Iraqis being physically handicapped, doctors say.
“Addressing people with special needs is not a about an individual or rare case,” said Dr. Bassem Sharif al-Hudjaimi. “It’s about the rights of 10-12 percent of the Iraqi nation. That is more than three million Iraqis in all parts of Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region,” he told Rudaw.
“They all suffer from injuries, disability due to wars or terrorism, and the absence of a real health watchdog,” said Hudjaimi, a member the outgoing parliament’s health and environment committee.
Many doctors who treat special needs patients feel the government has a responsibility to provide special attention to these people, who after all are victims of war and policies.
Dr. Ziyad Tariq, a health official, said that “the ministry pays special attention to an array of special needs.”
"The ministry is working to create more physical rehabilitation centers in Baghdad and the provinces and there are other projects under way,” said Dr. Star al-Saadi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Health.
“We give special consideration to the psychological aspects of the disabled and the allocation of rehabilitation centers for them,” he added.
Hudjaimi blamed the parliament, which due to infighting among various factions has never been a strong institution, for neglect of the handicapped.
“The Iraqi parliament is the reason this segment has not been provided full support,” he said. “I have complained to the Iraqi government that the parliament disrupts my work by failing to legislate the laws (to protect the disabled).”
He explained that about two years ago Iraq joined the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and become bound by the establishment of an independent national body to care for people with special needs.
Law number 38, to care for people with disabilities and special needs, was approved and went into effect in 2013.
“The law has remained a dead decree, because the Iraqi government did not take any steps to implement the process of law and the establishment of the National Commission for the care of disabled and those with special needs,” Hudjaimi complained.
“Over three million Iraqi citizens are affected, but the government rarely touches on this,” he said, angry that some decision-makers do not understand that money and aid is not enough for the disabled.
“It seems the lawmakers can’t grasp that these individuals need to be reintegrated into society," he said.
War and some of its consequences – including terrorism and traffic accidents – are the main reasons for so many Iraqis being physically handicapped, doctors say.
“Addressing people with special needs is not a about an individual or rare case,” said Dr. Bassem Sharif al-Hudjaimi. “It’s about the rights of 10-12 percent of the Iraqi nation. That is more than three million Iraqis in all parts of Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region,” he told Rudaw.
“They all suffer from injuries, disability due to wars or terrorism, and the absence of a real health watchdog,” said Hudjaimi, a member the outgoing parliament’s health and environment committee.
Many doctors who treat special needs patients feel the government has a responsibility to provide special attention to these people, who after all are victims of war and policies.
Dr. Ziyad Tariq, a health official, said that “the ministry pays special attention to an array of special needs.”
"The ministry is working to create more physical rehabilitation centers in Baghdad and the provinces and there are other projects under way,” said Dr. Star al-Saadi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Health.
“We give special consideration to the psychological aspects of the disabled and the allocation of rehabilitation centers for them,” he added.
Hudjaimi blamed the parliament, which due to infighting among various factions has never been a strong institution, for neglect of the handicapped.
“The Iraqi parliament is the reason this segment has not been provided full support,” he said. “I have complained to the Iraqi government that the parliament disrupts my work by failing to legislate the laws (to protect the disabled).”
He explained that about two years ago Iraq joined the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and become bound by the establishment of an independent national body to care for people with special needs.
Law number 38, to care for people with disabilities and special needs, was approved and went into effect in 2013.
“The law has remained a dead decree, because the Iraqi government did not take any steps to implement the process of law and the establishment of the National Commission for the care of disabled and those with special needs,” Hudjaimi complained.
“Over three million Iraqi citizens are affected, but the government rarely touches on this,” he said, angry that some decision-makers do not understand that money and aid is not enough for the disabled.
“It seems the lawmakers can’t grasp that these individuals need to be reintegrated into society," he said.
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