Iraqi hospitals prove unwilling to treat injured soldiers

Iraq's Ministry of Health has obstructed access to care for injured members of the Iraqi armed services, a new report says.

Politics, lack of leadership, and a cultural bias against treating soldiers in civilian hospitals have hindered access to care for wounded members of Iraq's armed forces, says the article, which was published online on 19 September in the World Journal of Surgery (http://www.springerlink.com).

Many of the wounded soldiers, it says, are being treated by American doctors. “US surgeons are providing trauma care for Iraqi soldiers in American field hospitals, with more than 80% of hospital bed days occupied by Iraqis.”

The authors say it is imperative that the …