Update - Crediting Kimadia with SOME Improvement

I spoke to my contact at the hospital today about the continuing supply problems, and he indicated that although the shortage of chemotherapy drugs from Kimadia is still critical and near-total, there have in fact been some improvements over the last year in deliveries of other supplies. One example he mentioned was a recent rather large delivery of ostomy supplies. Another was improvement in delivery of surgical supplies including such things as dressings, anesthetics and antibiotics, to the extent that the number of surgeries per week per surgeon which is possible with the available supplies has approximately doubled in the last year.

I asked whether the supply problems seem attributable to corruption or to shortage of funds or some other cause. His feeling seemed to be that it is the general chaos that afflicts Iraq that is the most important problem. He seemed doubtful that highly placed people in the Ministry of Health were diverting supplies to the black market but considered it possible that lower echelon personnel might do so if the opportunity presented itself.

I have never ceased to be impressed by the dedication and courage of Iraq's doctors, and to the extent that the Ministry of Health is staffed by physicians I have no doubt that the welfare of the patients of Iraq is their primary concern.