Two years since the end of the war with the Islamic State group, more than 1.3 million people in Iraq are still displaced from their homes and are now extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 due to overcrowded and unhygienic living conditions, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières warned on Monday.
"Internally displaced people in Iraq have been suffering for years, living in precarious and often cramped formal and informal camps," said Gul Badshah, MSF head of mission in Iraq. "There have been the first confirmed COVID-19 cases in a few internal displacement camps in Iraq, including where MSF works in Laylan camp near Kirkuk. While there have not been more confirmed cases for now, we are still worried about the impact COVID-19 will have on the most vulnerable people inside the camps, especially given the difficulty for people take self-protective measures."
MSF is responding to the emergence of a COVID-19 case in Laylan camp by setting up a 20-bed isolation and treatment facility. MSF is also implementing triage for COVID-19 at MSF's clinic in Laylan and raising awareness about prevention measures. However, due to the cramped and unhygienic conditions in the camps, it is almost impossible for people to take measures such as physical distancing and the isolation of suspect cases.
"In the camps where MSF provides medical care, families are congested inside single tents and have scarce access to adequate hygiene facilities," said Tetyana Pylypenko, MSF medical coordinator in Iraq. "Mixing with other camp residents is an unavoidable daily task, and without enough aid, people have no choice but to go out and seek any work to support their families, despite knowing the increased risk of infection."
In Laylan camp in Kirkuk governorate, MSF provides care for patients with noncommunicable diseases, mental health consultations, and sexual and reproductive health care services. People with underlying health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart and kidney diseases are particularly vulnerable to the virus and need continuous care, or they risk life-threatening consequences.
"It's critical that people in the camps have access to care for COVID-19 and to regular health services," added Badshah. "For MSF to continue to work across the country and adequately respond to the health needs, access and movement have to remain open."
In April, MSF started to support Iraqi health authorities in tackling COVID-19, shifting activities in its center for postoperative care in Mosul to isolate and treat people with COVID-19, and supporting the main facility for referral of COVID-19 patients in the region.
In Baghdad, MSF has started supporting specialized intensive care, as well as infection prevention and control inside one of the Ministry of Health's COVID-19 treatment hospitals. MSF has also supported local health facilities in Erbil and Baghdad by providing technical and logistical support and staff training on infection prevention and control, while maintaining most of MSF's regular medical projects across the country.
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