Bowersox Jon C, Al-Ainachi Shakir
World J Surg. 2006 Oct;30(10):1769-73. doi: 10.1007/s00268-006-0203-5.
Since 2003, Iraq has struggled to build a single national health system administered by the Iraqi Ministry of Health, but politics, lack of leadership, and a cultural bias against treating soldiers in civilian hospitals have hindered access to care for members of Iraq's armed forces who are wounded in combat.
U.S. surgeons are providing trauma care for Iraqi soldiers in American field hospitals, with more than 80% of hospital bed days occupied by Iraqis. At the same time, Iraqi hospitals have been treating the many civilian casualties of violence, and the Ministry of Health has greatly improved its emergency response and management capabilities over the past year.
Ministry of Health hospitals have adequate surgical capabilities and bed capacity to care for both civilian and security forces casualties. Faltering attempts to develop a national health policy that provides comprehensive care for Iraqi Security Forces will jeopardize Iraq's ability to assume responsibilities for the country's national defense, and could delay the withdrawal of Coalition military forces from Iraq.
It is imperative that leadership of the new government of Iraq and the international surgical community strongly endorse the implementation of a single health care system for all Iraqis.
自2003年以来，伊拉克一直在努力建立一个由伊拉克卫生部管理的单一国家卫生系统，但政治因素、缺乏领导力以及在平民医院治疗士兵存在文化偏见，这些都阻碍了伊拉克武装部队中在战斗中受伤人员获得医疗服务。
美国外科医生在美国野战医院为伊拉克士兵提供创伤治疗，医院床位使用天数中超过80%为伊拉克人占用。与此同时，伊拉克医院一直在治疗众多暴力事件中的平民伤亡人员，并且卫生部在过去一年里极大地提高了其应急响应和管理能力。
卫生部的医院具备足够的手术能力和床位容量来照顾平民和安全部队的伤亡人员。制定一项为伊拉克安全部队提供全面护理的国家卫生政策的努力步履蹒跚，这将危及伊拉克承担国家国防责任的能力，并可能推迟联军从伊拉克撤军。
伊拉克新政府的领导层和国际外科界必须大力支持为所有伊拉克人实施单一医疗保健系统。
