In February 2001 I was a member of a delegation of the Society for Austro-Arab Relations to Iraq. After visiting the Mother and Child Hospital in Basra where we were confronted by the horrifying lack of medical equipment and therapeutics for children suffering from leukaemia or cancer this humanitarian project was founded spontaneously.The Mother and Child Hospital of Basra has 70 beds for in-patients, 25 beds for oncological cases. Head of Department is Assistent Professor Dr. Jenan Ghalib Hassan. At the moment the children suffering from leukaemia or cancer have no chance at all for survival. 80 % of these children die within three weeks after diagnosis due to the following reasons:
- Fivefold rate of incidents of leukaemia in children which remains unexplained due to lack of investigation.
- Insufficient supplies of cytocids and concomitant treatment.
- No chance to manage the complications of a chemotherapeutical treatment due to inability to substitute platelets (no cell separator and no special centrifuge for blood separation available) as well as inability to treat infections as almost no antibiotics are available. The majority of these children die of brain bleedings.
- Blood donation system is underdeveloped. The blood bank of Basra is inadequately provided with equipment and supplies. Even plastic bags for blood transfusions are not available.
- Plenty of sources of infections: bad sanitarian and hygienic conditions, unsafe drinking water, poor sewage system, lack of bed linnen, lack of detergents.
What is the aim of our humanitarian project? Our aim is to improve the survival rate for children who suffer from leukemia or cancer. After our detailed evaluation in July 2001 the first phase will contain the following points:
1. Blood bank in Basra
- to renovate the laboratory
- to provide special centrifuges for blood separation (for providing platelets)
- to provide a special blood refrigerator and a plasma freezer
- to provide furniture and other equipment
- to provide plastic bags for blood transfusions
2. Mother-and-Child Hospital in Basra
- to provide hospital beds including new matrasses
- to provide bed linnen
- to provide infusion pumps for application of chemotherapy and other medical tools
- to provide cytocids and antibiotics
3. Teaching the local staff by Austrian specialists, invitation of the local staff to Austria for postgraduate training During the second phase we would like to focus on providing cytocids, antibiotics and plastic bags for blood transfusions. By these measures it should be possible to raise the survival rate for children suffering from leukemia or cancer disease significantly.
We have established a bank account for donations: Bank Austria Creditanstalt Vienna, Austria
Account Number: 0055-52880/03„Children in Iraq"
The international bank codes for this account are:
IBAN: AT04 1100 0005 5528 8003
BIC: BKAUATWWIn the meantime we have collected all medical tools and equipment which are necessary. It will take three containers to ship them to Basra. The renovation of the blood bank has been completed already two months ago. In January 2002 we applied for an UN-Permission at the Security Council Sanctions Committee. Two weeks later we have been informed that the US State Department has objected almost all of the most important items and asked for further technical details which we provided within some days only. For a period of three months we did not get any answer, at the beginning of May we have been informed that the US will not allow us to ship the medical machines to Basra which are the most important of our project (special centrifuges for blood separation, separators, plasmafreezer etc.) Even items were objected which has not been objected before. Of course we will not accept this decision because the life of sick children is concerned. By the support of these machines many the life of many sick children (as well adults) can be saved. It has to be called a crime when innocent and suffering children are the target of policy. Nobody of us would deny or delay a lifesaving treatment to our children suffering from cancer. If the life of children is concerned policy should not play any role, even when those children are so unlucky to be born in a so called "rough state". In the meantime even the UN weapon experts stated that all our medical machines are not on the dual use list and are not considered to be used for military purposes. We keep on fighting against the unjustified decision of the US mission.
The ICCCPO (International Confederation of Childhood Cancer Parents Organisations) believes that every child with cancer regardless of financial or social class, race or native origin deserves access to the best possible treatment and medical care.
Eva-Maria Hobiger, M.D., Radiooncologist
Vienna, August 2002
Further information:
Society for Austo-Arab Relations, A-1150 Wien, Stutterheimstrasse 16-18/2/5
Telephone 0043-1-526 78 10, Fax: 0043-1-526 77 95, e-mail: office.vienna@saar.at