Iraq: Pediatric Intensive Care and Neonatal Semi-intensive Care units newly equipped to open doors for infants in Raparin Pediatric Hospital in Erbil
Erbil, 26 September 2019: The World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with the Ministry
of Health in Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I) today celebrated the opening of the Pediatric intensive
care and Neonatal Gastroenterology and the Semi-Intensive Care Unit in Raparin Pediatric
Hospital in Erbil, KR-I.
The two pediatric intensive and semi-intensive care units were supported by WHO to provide
specialized quality care services for the infants and in-need for medical treatment children from
the Syrian Refugees, internally displaced population (IDPs), and hosting community.
The two units are well furnished with a set of advanced medical equipment like Gastroscopy and
Colonoscopy to manage between 20 to 30 cases of gastrointestinal disease per month.
“The rehabilitation and equipping of the two pediatric and infants intensive care units in Raparin
Pediatric Hospital is only one result of the good collaboration and coordination between WHO
and the Ministry of Health in Kurdistan Region of Iraq,” said Dr. Adham R Ismail Abdel Moniem,
Acting WHO Representative in Iraq.
“We believe that such contribution will save infants’ lives and lift some of the pressure put on the
pediatric health facilities serving the IDPs, refugees, and local community in KRG governorates,”
Dr. Abdel Moneim added.
WHO intervention in the rehabilitation and equipping of the facility included upgrading the bed
capacity of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the mentioned hospital with additional four beds,
four ventilator, six monitoring devices, and a planned package of training courses to build the
capacity of pediatric doctors in the area of neonatal intensive care services.
The Neonatal Semi- Intensive Care Unit, on the other hand, has a full daily bed capacity of 35
patients. The Unit is newly furnished with additional 10 medical monitoring devices, 10 infant
incubators, six infant phototherapy, three Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices,
and three spiral phototherapy machines.
WHO support also included equipping the hospital with other devices like ultrasonic nebulizers
and syringe pump, among many other items.
The outpatient, emergency and surgical units in Raparin Pediatric Hospital receive a daily average
of 1000 to 1500 children including 150 -170 admission per day. Approximately, 40 % of the
hospital visitors are Syrian refugees and IDPs children.
WHO support to this pediatric health facility was made possible through the generous
contribution from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
(BPRM).
For more information, please contact:
- Ajyal Sultany, WHO Communications Officer, (+964) 7740 892 878, sultanya@who.int
- Pauline Ajello, WHO Communications Officer, (+964) 7729 877 288, ajellopa@who.in
- Holly Wilkerson, Program Officer – Iraq, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
email: WilkersonHD@state.gov