Um Mustafa Bakr is a 33-year-old mother-of-three who is desperately looking for treatment for her son, Omar. The two-year-old has been suffering serious bouts of epilepsy-induced convulsions for the past year.
“I’m tired of going to public hospitals in search of treatment for my son. He’s just a baby and is suffering from a condition that could kill him. Basic medicines can keep him alive. Omar has to take a drug called carbamazepine, which is used for the treatment of anxiety, epilepsy and convulsions.
“Each time he has a bout of convulsions, I get scared that it’s going to be the last day of his life. Initially, we were getting free treatment in public pharmacies, but for the past six months the situation has changed and we don’t get free treatment any more.
“My husband’s been unemployed for the past two years. We’re only able to survive because some relatives are helping us with food and clothes for the children. We don’t have money to buy medicines from private pharmacies for Omar, especially after a medicine shortage has made pharmacy owners raise their prices.
“I asked two local NGOs for help but until now they haven’t given me any medicine for his treatment, saying that none of the drugs in their stores can be used for the treatment of my child.
“I don’t know what else to do to get help for my son. I can’t buy the tablets from private pharmacies, which sell 10 tablets for nearly US $10. This money’s enough for my family to eat for the whole week. But I don’t want my son to die from a condition that can be simply treated.
“We are paying the price of being a poor family. If we had money, for sure we wouldn’t be suffering with this problem. I can’t have more children because of a myoma [a benign tumour in the wall of her uterus]. He is my only son and the hope of our family.
“I don’t want too much. I just need someone who can get treatment for my lovely son. We are suffering violence in Iraq and the shortage in medicines is a result of the US invasion, which instead of bringing us peace and prosperity, has brought us suffering and poverty.
“Some people might not understand why a mother should be frantic in asking for a so common a medicine to keep her son alive, but those who live in this country and who lack everything know how hard it is to find food and security as well as health care and education.”
as/ar/ed
see also
Lack of medicines put asthmatic children at risk
Iraqi children flown to UAE for treatment
Children have been the main victims of war
“I’m tired of going to public hospitals in search of treatment for my son. He’s just a baby and is suffering from a condition that could kill him. Basic medicines can keep him alive. Omar has to take a drug called carbamazepine, which is used for the treatment of anxiety, epilepsy and convulsions.
“Each time he has a bout of convulsions, I get scared that it’s going to be the last day of his life. Initially, we were getting free treatment in public pharmacies, but for the past six months the situation has changed and we don’t get free treatment any more.
“My husband’s been unemployed for the past two years. We’re only able to survive because some relatives are helping us with food and clothes for the children. We don’t have money to buy medicines from private pharmacies for Omar, especially after a medicine shortage has made pharmacy owners raise their prices.
“I asked two local NGOs for help but until now they haven’t given me any medicine for his treatment, saying that none of the drugs in their stores can be used for the treatment of my child.
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We are suffering violence in Iraq and the shortage in medicines is a result of the US invasion, which instead of bringing us peace and prosperity, has brought us suffering and poverty.
“We are paying the price of being a poor family. If we had money, for sure we wouldn’t be suffering with this problem. I can’t have more children because of a myoma [a benign tumour in the wall of her uterus]. He is my only son and the hope of our family.
“I don’t want too much. I just need someone who can get treatment for my lovely son. We are suffering violence in Iraq and the shortage in medicines is a result of the US invasion, which instead of bringing us peace and prosperity, has brought us suffering and poverty.
“Some people might not understand why a mother should be frantic in asking for a so common a medicine to keep her son alive, but those who live in this country and who lack everything know how hard it is to find food and security as well as health care and education.”
as/ar/ed
see also
Lack of medicines put asthmatic children at risk
Iraqi children flown to UAE for treatment
Children have been the main victims of war
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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