Access to care for non-communicable diseases in Mosul, Iraq between 2014 and 2017: a rapid qualitative study.
Louisa M BaxterManal Shams EldinAli Al MohammedMalika SaimFrancesco ChecchiPublished in: Conflict and health (2018)
During June 2014 to April 2017, the population of Mosul, Iraq lived in a state of increasing isolation from the rest of Iraq due to the city's occupation by the Islamic State group. As part of a study to develop a generalisable method for estimating the excess burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in conflict-affected settings, in April-May 2017 we conducted a brief qualitative study of self-reported care for NCDs among 15 adult patients who had fled Mosul and presented to Médecins Sans Frontières clinics in the Kurdistan region with hypertension and/or diabetes. Participants reported consistent barriers to NCD care during the so-called Islamic State period, including drug shortages, insecurity and inability to afford privately sold medication. Coping strategies included drug rationing. By 2016, all patients had completely or partially lost access to care. Though limited, this study suggests a profound effect of the conflict on NCD burden.
Keyphrases
- healthcare
- palliative care
- quality improvement
- end stage renal disease
- type diabetes
- pain management
- blood pressure
- newly diagnosed
- affordable care act
- chronic kidney disease
- cardiovascular disease
- depressive symptoms
- ejection fraction
- prognostic factors
- emergency department
- adverse drug
- social support
- peritoneal dialysis
- adipose tissue
- skeletal muscle
- chronic pain