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URGENT: Hospital Needs in Baghdad, Iraq
Al Yarmook Hospital - Baghdad IRAQ.
There is a calamity in the medical system in Iraq. There are many agencies working in the country including the Red Crescent, The Red Cross, and others. All of those have contributed a very minimal assistance so far. Mainly they have been trying to establish power and water into the hospitals. The need is acute and we must try to assist in any way we can immediately. I have been be taken to the Director of the Yarmook Hospital today. I have spent the day touring all the facilities and the department of the hospital. The situation is very critical and I have summarized the immediate requirements and what we need to do immediately. Al Yarmook hospital suffered direct shelling as it was in the cross fire between the coalition and the regime forces. The hospital was then subjected to a terrible looting by unknown people. These criminals looted and damaged many critical departments within the hospital. In addition to that damage, the hospital initially had severe shortages of many basic medical equipment and emergency kits and medicines prior to the crisis. Al Yarmook Hospital is the second largest teaching hospital in Iraq after Madinat Al Tib. (Baghdad Medical Centre) And the second largest public hospital in the country. The adjoining Al Mustansiria medical school graduates about 300 to 400 students annually who spend their residency rotation in the hospital. The hospital caters for approximately 4 million residents of Baghdad up to Al Mahmoodia. Al- Yarmook hospital has 1000 beds, 700 employees and only 150 nurses. The hospital has about 150 Doctors on staff typically in normal conditions. Most of the Doctors on Staff had to fend for their families during the war and have left Baghdad. Some have returned but again there is no incentive to go back as there are no salaries to be paid.
The hospital has the following departments: The political appointee by the regime who was running the hospital has disappeared. The current Doctor running the hospital is Dr. Zaid Abdul Latif Abdul Karim. He was the Hospital Director prior to having a Baathi be appointed as the Director. During the bombardment and the shelling, he continued to run the hospital with whatever resources he had with him. He had no running morgue. Many of you saw him on television as he pulled corpses from the street and buried them in the hospital grounds. He is a true Iraqi hero. He had to personally scrub the emergency room floor and walls in order to get it working again. The hospital is barely on its feet today the first day of operation. Dr. Zaid had to get the US army to come in and protect the hospital from looters and others. He had to go to the nearest US checkpoint on the nearest Jadria bridge and request their assistance. Now there are two tanks guarding the main entrance and about 20 troops patrolling the hospital night and day. General Jay Garner visited the hospital and has promised to help. So far they have received only the security assistance and they are awaiting other specialists to come in and help. Nothing has come now. Some political parties have come to assist with the hospital condition to make it a political hospital or be affiliated to a political party. The Director has refused that on the grounds that any help has to be first humanitarian and not for profit of self interest. Be it political or business. I have taken pictures of the hospital grounds and will be documenting and taking pictures of any delivery of goods, money and any other assistance. Enclosed is the immediate need to get the hospital working again: A- General requirements: 1- Salaries. All hospital staff have been now working for the last two months during the war without pay. Many of them are in dire need of basic living expenses and food. The hospital currently needs about 28 Million Iraqi Dinars for one months Salary. That is the equivalent of $10,000 USD on the current exchange rate of 2800 Dinars per dollar. If the rate go up to 2000 dinars per dollar, the that is about $14,000 USD. I would like to request two months salaries to get people back to work and running the hospital again. 2- The hospital needs another generator at least 1 mega Watt. The hospital cannot run a blood bank if it does not have any electrical power to keep the blood refrigerators running. 3- The hospital needs water pumps. Any water pumps to pump the water onto the tanks as the water pressure from the main supply lines are very weak. 4- All window type air conditioning units have been stolen. The hospital needs about 50 window type AC units. Since it is one of the older type of hospitals, it does not have a central AC system. Split type of AC units will also work but it will need installation. 5- The hospital needs about 20 PC's to keep the administration running. Departments such as Finance, Patient records and others have had all their PC's looted. B- Specific requirements: 1- Emergency Room: The emergency room holds 10 beds. It is in a very bad shape as it has undertaken the most demand as a result of the war. The doctors are working frantically without their basic medical equipment and needs. The following list is what is needed immediately;
1- Defibrillators and Cardiac monitors ( Prefer Physio Control) 2- Cardiac Care unit:
1- The Central Monitoring station has been stolen. The unit was running 10 beds manufactured by Marquette Electronics- Hellige Medical Systems. The universal monitoring station SMU-EVO is missing plus the bedside units some have been stolen. Either we replace the entire system or find the missing central monitoring unit and additional bedside monitors 3- Gynecology, Delivery and Neonatal emergency care unit:
1- Need urgently SIX incubators 4- Radiology Department: The radiology department has been looted and many items that have no value for the looters have been taken without regard. 1- MRI System: The MRI system is made by Philips Medical Systems of Holland. The model is GyroScan NT Compact plus. The main monitoring station has been looted as it appears as a general PC. Two monitoring screens are required one inside and one outside, The communication system has been stolen and needs to be replaced, the UPS power supply is missing as well. Need the assistance of Philips Medical Systems to help get the MRI system working and operational. All disposables, contrast and films are missing. Need to supply as much as possible for the next 60 days. 2- CT Scan The Siemens M44-2 Power Track 3000. The system monitors have been looted, need to replace with all accessories and cables as all cables have been severed and missing. 3- Mammography The Mammography system has been supplied by an Italian company called Giotto IMS. It is not operational. It is missing the monitoring system, complete with keyboard and accessories. They have no Films or any disposabable. The system has never worked since installation and they prefer to have it replaced with an American brand such as GE Medical systems, Accuson, HP Medical or other. The hospital drug requirements has been listed in the following appendix and requires your immediate attention. I have witnessed two deaths today as I was touring the emergency operating room and there is a sense of hopelessness as there are no drugs to treat the patients, medical equipment to triage and resuscitate. This is a calling to all Iraqis and anyone who wishes to offer any time, money and effort to help bring this hospital into an operational state. Please call me on my phone and let me know how you can help. Your country is calling for your help. God Bless you and our beloved country. Omar Barzanji
Thuraya phone
00-88-216-5550-9040.
Drugs urgently needed to alleviate the crisis: 1. Coronary care unit: 2. Emergency unit 3. Analgesic drugs:
4. Gynecology:
5. Diabetics department:
6. IV drips:
7. Anticeptics:
9. Disposables:
10. Disposable syringes: Please email all of your questions to raya@iraqfoundation.org
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