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Iraqi hospitals under IS suffer lack of medicine, staff

The state of hospitals in Iraqi areas under IS control face shortage of medicine and staff, and are sometimes forced to treat the wounded from among the organization’s ranks.

An Ambulance drives down a street in the Jurf al-Sakhr area, north of the Shiite shrine city of Karbala on October 26, 2014. Iraqi officials said that government forces backed by Shiite militias retook Jurf al-Sakhr, southwest of Baghdad, from Islamic State (IS) group militants on October 25. AFP PHOTO/HAIDAR HAMDANI        (Photo credit should read HAIDAR HAMDANI/AFP/Getty Images)
An Ambulance drives down a street in the Jurf al-Sakhr area, north of the Shiite shrine city of Karbala on October 26, 2014. Iraqi officials said that government forces backed by Shiite militias retook Jurf al-Sakhr, southwest of Baghdad, from Islamic State (IS) militants on Oct. 25. — HAIDAR HAMDANI/Getty Images

The health sector in cities controlled by the Islamic State (IS) is at its worst, particularly after the central government completely cut off support for those hospitals, due to the lack of supply routes through which medicines can be delivered, in addition to the fact that many staff members have fled, as a result of IS pressure.

News spread about IS killing a number of physicians in Mosul because they cooperated with security forces, or did not comply with IS orders.

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