'Chaotic picture' as funding gap threatens WHO operations in Iraq

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - More than 3 million refugees and displaced Iraqis could be denied life-saving healthcare as the World Health Organisation (WHO) scrambles to secure $60 million to fund their operations in the country to the end of the year.

Without the money, healthcare providers in Iraq funded by the WHO and its partners could be forced to stop services -- including primary healthcare, disease outbreak detection and immunization -- at the end of June, said Syed Jaffar Hussain, WHO's head of mission in Iraq.