The institutions of health and medical care in the city of Samarra serve not only the city’s population, but all inhabitants of Samarra district (urban, rural and suburbs), who are more than 200 thousand people. The obvious conclusion from the first glance of the results of surveys in the first phase of the project is the difficulty of access for residents of the suburbs and rural areas to medical care institutions in the city of Samarra, with about 26 to be 29% of the population of Samarra eliminate a distance of not less than 30 kilometers to receive first aid or General medical services and specialized in the Samarra General Hospital, for this there is a need to expand the network of health and medical services within the city, to make it easy for residents of the suburbs and rural areas to receive.
The second worrying indicator is the very low number of doctors and specialists in the health and medical care institutions in the city of Samarra, but this figure jumps in Samarra specifically to 66000 people, which practically means the inability of the institutions of health and medical care in Samarra to provide basic services to the residents of the district. In the context of the comparison between Samarra and Iraq, we find that every doctor in Iraq is obliged to provide medical and health care for 1692 people, In Samarra, this figure records a double jump up to 3700 patients per doctor, regardless of specialization(except dentists). The drop in the number of doctors in Iraq is due to the migration of about 12 thousand doctors abroad during the war, and the death of about 2000 doctors in the fighting or as a result of bombing. This applies more to the city of Samarra, and the deterioration of the security situation substantially. So, we notice the decrease of the level of other key indicators from the overall average for the same
indicators across Iraq in the field of health and medical care. When compared with other neighboring country such as Turkey, which is similar to the composition of the population in terms of age groups (large increase in the proportion of children compared to the low proportion of the elderly 65 years and over), the situation of the health and medical care in Samarra is more deteriorated. What improves a bit of the gloomy overall picture of medical and health care in Samarra is the existence of Samarra Public Hospital, which belongs to about 600 hospitals throughout Iraq (most belong to the public sector). This hospital provides, in terms of specializations, relatively integrated services, and with an acceptable degree of specialization; we can find a section specialized in surgery,
and another in the ear, nose and throat, and third in physical therapy and physical rehabilitation, recovery and the unity of intensive care, blood bank, and the maternity section and gynecology, ophthalmology, pediatrics, sonar, and a section of anesthesia, and a section for abdominal diseases, a section for X-ray, outpatient clinics and a laboratory for analysis. In spite of the role of the hospital is critical in improving health and medical care condition in Samarra, it is still below the required level
in terms of number of disciplines, where it lacks other specialized sections found for example in hospitals at the provincial or provinces level, such as:
• Section for pulmonary diseases (which section is essential to Iraq under conditions that could be seen as pulmonary tuberculosis according to United Nations data from the most widespread diseases).
• Department of dermatology and cancer diseases (we believe that both sections are of the
important sections in Iraq in light of the sharp rise of the number of infected skin cancer
resulting from the use of missiles and missile saturated uranium, a result of radiation and
others. According to the statistics of increasing incidence of skin cancer among children up to the age of ten years in particular).
• Section of the heart disease, neurological diseases department and the department of
psychiatry (all sections are of more important and urgent in the post-war time).
Another major shortfall in the Samarra Public Hospital, despite of all its positive aspects, is represented by the number of specialized doctors who do not exceed (12) doctors. In this context, we note the following:
• There is a pediatrician to care about (90) children in the district of Samarra (rural and urban); note that the estimated number of children at age (0 -14) years make up about (45%) of the country’s population..
• There is also a doctor and a specialist in gynecology, and if we statistics throughout Iraq (38 births per 1000 citizens) and implemented on the Samarra (urban and rural areas), the number of newborns in the eradication estimated (7600) born each year. That means that one doctor specializing in medical care is provided for more than (20) and as (20) newborn children a day. which amounts to (48) of all children (1000) as a newborn child general statistics. This figure almost equivalent to twice the mortality rate among newborn children in the medium development countries (28 per 1000 births).
• There are four surgeons and an anesthetist and one, this number can not fill the needs of the
population of Samarra under the usual conditions, and become an increasing need for surgery and anesthesia in the post-war periods, in situations of insecurity.
• By the same token we can say that the number of initial medical aid centers did not meet the needs of the population.
• Finally, the number of other workers in the Samarra General Hospital is: ((25) nurses, (24) pharmacist, (6) Chemists, (24) analysts, (10) specialists in the scan, and (70) administrative), and this number Can not be in line with the needs of the population, especially with regard to the number of nurses and nurses