Iraq and a hard place

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Iraq's Prime Minister, Nouri Al- Maliki, recently urged displaced healthcare professionals to return home.

Looting is not so much of a problem now and getting hold of drugs such as anaesthetics is much easier.

What kind of support do dentists get from the government in Iraq?

The problem with dentists and physicians in Iraq is that for many years they were undervalued. Compared with other industries, the salaries in the healthcare sector were a joke. The most positive move by the Ministry of Health has been to increase the salaries of dentists.

If you compare the salaries of the dentists before and after the war, there has been a 30% increase. This releases us from the pressure of rising prices and economic problems. I still think that the increase could be higher, but it is a step forward.

What else would you like to see changing?

The health system here in Iraq has many problems that need to be addressed. It's a very old-fashioned system with archaic and slow processes. In my opinion there needs to be an overhaul of the system to make it more efficient.

In its current form, it encourages corruption in those administering the service because there is so much red tape.

Billions of US dollars are supposedly being set aside to rebuild the healthcare system here, but those of us working on the front line are not seeing any of this, largely because the processes are so protracted.

Is systemic corruption still an issue?

There is a problem with corruption. The funds that are set aside for the healthcare and the training of healthcare professionals are scattered, not concentrated, so much of it gets wasted.

For instance, the opportunities for dentists to go outside Iraq for training, studying or scholarships are limited. Money is being given to allow them to attend courses, but the trips tend to be given to people that are not suitable for them.

Administrators use them for holidays. This means that there is very little support for dentists to expand their knowledge of specialist equipment and techniques. It makes dentists feel isolated and it's not good for the service given to the Iraqi people.

How do you see this being resolved?

I would be open to the idea of bringing in foreign administrators or using the expertise of returning dentists who have worked under different healthcare systems. The system here needs to be streamlined.

Also, bringing in someone who is removed from the current and past regimes who will show no favouritism might help ease the corruption.

As a lecturer in oral surgery, how would you say the situation has affected student intake?

The situation has not affected the intake of students wishing to become dentists. The courses are still receiving good numbers of applicants. Dentistry is a good job to have here in Iraq, especially in the southern areas of the country where the situation is far more stable.

There are many opportunities for healthcare professionals in the south, so that is where most of the graduate students look to start their careers.

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