Over 3 Million Iraqis Can Become Refugees in Their Own Country Due to the War

At a briefing in Amman, Fadia Chaib, a representative of the World Health Organisation, reported that over 3.5 million of Iraqis would probably abandon their homes as a result of the war. According to her, 3 million of Iraqis can become refugees in their own country and another 650,000 would have to flee to neighbouring states. Women will make up 50% of potential immigrants, and more than 130,000 of them are pregnant. It was said at the briefing that even under normal conditions, 20,000 of them would require medical assistance for pregnancy period and childbirth to proceed normally.

The twenty years of war in Iraq and twelve years of the economic sanctions affected the health of Iraqis. Presently, children's death rate in Iraq is twice that of 1990. One in every eight Iraqi children dies under 5 years. One in every three children suffers from malnutrition, and 25% of children are born with insufficient weight.

It was stated at the briefing that the future of Iraqi children depended on urgent and significant improvement of the health care system in the country. The war will bring quite the opposite results.