Decades of conflict have left Iraq grappling with severely weakened healthcare and public health infrastructures. While progress has been made in recent years, significant challenges persist in addressing the country's most pressing health issues. Endemic waterborne illnesses such as cholera, alarming rates of antimicrobial resistance, and the complexities of cancer control amidst a fragmented healthcare landscape are among the foremost concerns. Moreover, Iraqi health practitioners face the looming threat of climate change, which promises to exacerbate health threats in the years to come. This roundtable discussion aims to explore pathways forward to strengthen research-based policy approaches to both communicable and noncommunicable diseases in Iraq and other post-conflict settings.
Speakers:
- Sinan Ghazi (Head of Communicable Diseases Control Center, Ministry of Health)
- Marwa Ghalib (Manager of Antimicrobial Consumption Surveillance and Awareness at the National Antimicrobial Resistance Program, Ministry of Health)
- Rawaz Salah Daood (Specialist Medical Oncology, Hiwa Hospital)
- Nada Alwan (Professor of Pathology, University of Baghdad)
Chair:
- Gemma Bowsher (Co-Lead for Global Health Security at the Centre for Conflicts and Health Research, King’s College London)