The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and other UN agencies on Tuesday issued an appeal for 84.8 million U.S. dollars to help host countries meet the health and nutrition needs of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees.
The appeal was launched jointly in Geneva by UNHCR, the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Program(WFP).
The appeal emphasizes the basic health needs of Iraqis in their neighboring countries, especially Syria and Jordan, which host an estimated 1.5 million and 750,000 Iraqis respectively, UNHCR said.
"The health needs of more than 2 million displaced Iraqis should not be ignored ... This requires an enormous coordinated effort with governments and UN agencies and NGOs and requires significant financial support from the international community," said a joint statement issued by the agencies.
Meanwhile, Radhouane Nouicer, UNHCR's director for the Middle East and North Africa, said the health appeal showed that the situation in Iraq was gaining wider attention and required more support.
"A more robust intervention by the international community through bilateral and multilateral channels is needed," he added.
The large numbers of Iraqi refugees who have arrived in Syria and Jordan over the past year have put an enormous strain on the already overstretched public services in those countries and pose major challenges to the host governments as well as local and international organizations, according to the UN agencies.
"In Syria alone, hundreds of Iraqi amputees need prostheses and thousands of cancer patients and trauma victims need specialized treatment," said the joint statement.
"Access to hospital care is limited. Gaps have arisen in the national health information and disease surveillance systems, which increase the risk of vaccine preventable diseases," it added.
Source: Xinhua
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