This article was originally published by WHO here.
The World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with the Ministry of Health in Kurdistan Region of Iraq, today celebrated the opening of the paediatric intensive care and neonatal gastroenterology and semi-intensive care unit in Raparin Pediatric Hospital in Erbil.
The paediatric intensive and semi-intensive care units, with support from WHO, will provide specialized quality care services for infants and children from Syria, internally displaced population (IDPs), and the host community. The units have been supplied with advanced medical equipment to manage between 20 and 30 cases of gastrointestinal disease per month.
“The rehabilitation and equipping of the pediatric and infants intensive care units in Raparin Pediatric Hospital is only one result of excellent collaboration and coordination between WHO and the Ministry of Health in the Kurdistan region of Iraq,” said Dr Adham Ismail Abdel Moniem, acting WHO Representative in Iraq.
“We believe that such a contribution will save the lives of infants and relieve pressure on paediatric health facilities serving IDPs, refugees and the local community in governorates of the region,” Dr Abdel Moneim added.
WHO support to the neonatal intensive care unit included an additional 4 beds, 4 ventilators, 6 monitoring devices, in addition to planned training to build the capacity of paediatric doctors in the area of neonatal intensive care services.
The neonatal semi-intensive care unit has for 35 patients. The unit has been newly furnished with an additional 10 medical monitoring devices, 10 infant incubators, 6 infant phototherapy, 3 continuous positive airway pressure devices, and 3 spiral phototherapy machines.
WHO support also included equipping the hospital with additional devices such as ultrasonic nebulizers and syringe pump and other items.
The outpatient, emergency and surgical units in Raparin Paediatric Hospital receive an average of 1000 to 1500 children daily, with between 150 and 170 admissions a day. Approximately, 40% of patients are Syrian refugees and internally displaced children.
WHO support to this paediatric health facility was made possible through the generous contribution from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.
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