Iraqi Health Ministry says 1,480 patients sent for treatment abroad in 2009

Text of report by Iraqi newspaper Al-Mashriq on 5 January [Report from Baghdad by Mu'ayyad Muhammad: "Health Ministry: More than 1,480 Patients Sent for Treatment Abroad Last Year"] The Health Ministry announced that it sent more than 1,480 patients abroad for treatment during the past year. Health Ministry Spokesman Sabah Karkukli said: "Those who were sent abroad are patients who cannot be treated in Iraq," pointing out that "568 patients were sent to India, 105 to Jordan, 470 to Lebanon, 314 to Turkey, 17 to Iran, and 6 to Syria, to receive treatment for heart diseases, ophthalmology, fractures, and cochlea."...