2022
DOI: 10.3390/epidemiologia3040032
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Current Impact and Long-Term Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Iraqi Healthcare Systems: A Case Study

Abstract: Decades of wars, sanctions, and internal conflicts have compromised Iraq’s health system, which once was the best system in the region. National and international efforts to revitalize the system have been successful to some extent; however, significant challenges still exist. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed new vulnerabilities and exacerbated the existing ones, affecting the quality and the quantity of the health services delivered. This case study explored the baseline function of Iraq’s health system with… Show more

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Cited by 6 publications
(4 citation statements)
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“…For example, PHCs can offer treatment for acute respiratory infections and refer the patient if the case is severe; measles with an eye infection or complications should be immediately referred to the district hospital [ 29 ]. The progressive decline in healthcare services, high staff turnover, and the inadequate distribution of health facilities and human resources have led citizens to bypass the PHCs and seek care at the secondary or tertiary level [ 11 , 12 ]. For example, Salah Al-Deen has 50% (842) of the needed doctors in the governorate available, while only 17 are located in rural regions [ 30 ].…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
See 1 more Smart Citation
“…For example, PHCs can offer treatment for acute respiratory infections and refer the patient if the case is severe; measles with an eye infection or complications should be immediately referred to the district hospital [ 29 ]. The progressive decline in healthcare services, high staff turnover, and the inadequate distribution of health facilities and human resources have led citizens to bypass the PHCs and seek care at the secondary or tertiary level [ 11 , 12 ]. For example, Salah Al-Deen has 50% (842) of the needed doctors in the governorate available, while only 17 are located in rural regions [ 30 ].…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…However, more than 20% of the non-communicable deaths among Iraqis occur in young individuals (the primary workforce)—compared to 20% in Jordan and 17% in Iran—resulting in negative economic and social impacts [ 11 ]. The Iraqi healthcare system has undergone a transformational change in recent decades, shifting health service delivery from curative and hospital-based to primarily preventive care-based through the use of primary health centers (PHCs) [ 12 ]. There are two kinds of PHCs: main and small subcenters.…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…SARS-CoV-2 Ag-RDTs can be incorporated into testing strategies where nucleic acid ampli cation test methods (such as rt-PCR) are not available, or turnaround time is too long to inform clinical decision-making or for undertaking public health measures such as contact tracing. In Iraq, the lag time between sample collection and PCR results exceeded two weeks, largely hindering their purpose (5). Prolonged turnaround times may be secondary to multiple factors, including limited human or nancial resources, sample transport requirements, and reagent shortages.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…1. shows how many public and private hospitals there are in Iraq today and how they are distributed [13].…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%