In response to the recent violence in Iraq, International Medical Corps is providing emergency health services, procuring and distributing vital medical equipment and supplies, operating ambulances to transfer the critically-wounded and continuing to assess humanitarian needs in camps for the displaced in Khazir and Garmawa.
More than 500,000 people have fled and are in urgent need of medical care, food, shelter, and relief supplies. Up to 300,000 people are seeking safety in the northern region of Kurdistan in Erbil and Dohuk where support systems are already overwhelmed by Syrian refugees and Iraqis displaced by violence in Anbar. The majority of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in this area are residing with friends, family or in rented accommodations. An additional 10,000 people have fled from Qaraqosh and many are residing in northern Kurdish controlled areas.
In Erbil, International Medical Corps is providing health services at Khazir Transit Camp including through a mobile medical unit (MMU) to increase access for those in need. The organization is also supporting ambulances in the camp and at checkpoints along the Ninewa-Erbil border to provide referral services and transportation to Erbil hospitals.
In Dohuk, International Medical Corps is supporting 2 ambulances that operate 24 hours a day along the Ninewa-Dohuk border. From June 25 to June 28, the ambulance stationed at Garmawa camp transported five people to Sheikhan Hospital for urgent care. International Medical Corps will also establish an MMU in Garmawa and is currently procuring emergency supplies and medicines for the camp.
In the Ninewa plains between Mosul and Erbil, International Medical Corps assessed the status of the medical facilities and will begin to provide medicine and critical supplies to a clinic in Mosul district that was rationing supplies. International Medical Corps is also procuring medicines for emergency hospitals in Erbil and Dohuk.
Having operated in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein, International Medical Corps is well placed to immediately deliver a comprehensive emergency response, including relief and medical supplies to those displaced by the violence. The organization is deploying mobile medical units to increase access to primary health care and emergency health services, delivering medical supplies to hospitals struggling to cope with increased caseloads, and preparing for longer term threats to the health system, such as disease outbreaks.