5 million people need health services in Iraq – UN
The UN's health body said Monday that more than five million people need medical services in Iraq as it bemoaned a 70 percent gap in funding required to help, AFP reported.
"The longer we wait, the more critical the situation becomes for those who need urgent, life-saving health services," World Health Organization (WHO) regional director Ala Alwan said during a visit to Iraq.
The agency said that only 30.4 percent of the funding required by the health sector had been received, leaving a gap of $218.7 million (206 million euros).
"The situation is alarming," Alwan said.
"More than five million people in Iraq are currently in need of health services. While WHO and health partners are doing all we can to save lives, our efforts are hindered by insufficient funding."
On Saturday, Alwan visited the northern region of Kurdistan, which has welcomed many of the 2.5 million people displaced by conflict since last year.