CWS ships $1.2 million worth medical supplies for Iraqis
Church World Service, a global humanitarian agency, is shipping the donated medical supplies worth $1.2 million to Iraq for its local hospitals and medical facilities, said CWS Executive Director the Rev. John McCullough.
"CWS is trying to be at the center of humanitarian aid efforts in order to recuperate Iraq as soon as possible. Many Iraqis are still in the worst condition of living," McCullough said.
Steve Weaver, CWS Int'l Disaster Response Consultant said the medical supply shipment, containing surgical kits and sterile surgical components, is going to arrive in Jordan late July and be transported to Iraq. The Lloyd A. Fry Foundation donated the shipping funds.
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Weaver also added that humanitarian aid efforts continue despite the bad security situation. NGOs especially, are trying to recover the health condition as the provisional authority tries to get Iraq's public health system fully reverted.
Meanwhile, on June 26 the United Nations officials reported that Iraq's health care system is extremely fragile that it is unable to cover at least half of its capacity. The problems were already existed and even aggravated by the recent war and chaos, insecurity and a widespread lack of basic public services.
UN also pointed that malnourished children has doubled by the war that malnutrition rates had increased 7.7% of children under the age of 5. "This is because of an increase in child morbidity, child diarrhea and poor maternal management," said a spokesman for the World Health Organization, Richard Alderslade to Reuters.
The donated supplies have been increased in CWS. During the past 10 years, CWS sent more than $3 million in medical supplies, food and blankets.
Last year, CWS also participated in founding a multi aid agency called, All Our Children which concentrated on providing medicine, medical supplies, emergency food aid, blankets, wheelchairs and hygiene supplies for pediatrics hospitals and clinics and to a program serving street children.
"There is still a lot of confusion, whether the supplies are distrituted to the right places in right time," Weaver said.
CWS co-works with many different agencies and get supports from 36 Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican denominations in order to keep providing sustainable self-help development, meeting emergency needs and preventing the growth of poverty and powerlessness.
