Baghdad –INA
The Health Ministry announced on Monday the recording of 226 suffocation cases in several provinces as a result of the dust wave.
The ministry said in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that “Health Minister Abdul Hussein al-Mousawi followed the measures taken by health departments in Baghdad and the provinces to deal with the dust wave and sandstorms witnessed across the country, directing the continuation of full alert status at health institutions and ensuring the provision of medical and treatment services to citizens.”
The minister stressed, according to the statement, the importance of preparing emergency wards and rapid response units, as well as providing oxygen, medicines, and the necessary medical supplies, while enhancing the readiness of health, medical, and nursing staff in all hospitals and health centers to receive suffocation and breathing difficulty cases.
The ministry indicated that “statistics from the Directorate of Operations and Emergency Medical Services at the Health Ministry showed the registration of 226 suffocation cases in several provinces due to the dust wave and sandstorms,” noting that “the detailed statistics of the cases will be announced later.”
The statement noted that the Health Minister had earlier directed all health departments in Baghdad and the provinces to mobilize health efforts and raise the level of preparedness to confront the effects of the bad weather conditions, while continuing the provision of medical services around the clock to ensure citizens’ safety.