War or health: a four-decade armed conflict in Iraq.

War or health: a four-decade armed conflict in Iraq. Med Confl Surviv. 2019 Oct 09;:1-18 Authors: Lafta RK, Al-Nuaimi MA Abstract Iraq has suffered 40 years of continual conflict, with large-scale traumatic events including successive wars, economic sanctions, sectarian conflict, terrorism, and organized crime. Population health and the health systems and other services and infrastructure that support a population's health usually suffer severe consequences in conflict-affect countries and Iraq has been no exception. In this article we aim to provide a historical narrative of the four decades of successive wars in Iraq and present some of the consequences of this particular situation of persistent violence and how it has reflected on the health status of the Iraqi people, as indicated by increasing morbidity, mortality, injuries, mental health problems and displacement. Continutation of the current situation of insecurity is anathema for health as war and health can never be compatible, it is a choice between war or health. PMID: 31597450 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Medicine, Conflict and Survival - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Tags: Med Confl Surviv Source Type: research