Iraq: Despite Rising Tide of Birth Defects, Fallujah Shuns Iraq Protests in Fear of Backlash

Nov 17, 2019 | Alex MacDonald, Middle East Eye
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The Fallujah Educational Hospital for Women and Children has one of the most sought-after maternity facilities in Iraq's Anbar province. The lack of quality maternity care in the region means the hospital is overloaded, with patients coming from as far afield as Karbala, 85km to the south, to make use of its already stretched facilities. To make matters worse, for years now, babies born in Fallujah have suffered disproportionately high levels of birth defects, including congenital heart disease, gastroschisis (where the digestive system is found outside the baby's body) and spina bifida.