Health Hazards

In this episode of The Other Half, Nuha al-Keneny reported on the alarming number of breast cancer cases. The prevalence of the illness, said Dr Dler Ahmed, was due to the use of chemical weapons during the Gulf war and the latest conflict. Dr Ahmed al-Wandy, a researcher at the Kurdistan Centre for Research and Technology, said he was concerned at the lack of statistics for breast cancer patients, and urged schools to provide girls with more information about the disease.



Also in the show, Dr Ali al-Hamzawi, a psychiatrist at Diwaniya Hospital, was interviewed about Iraqi women's psychological problems. He said social discrimination and stress caused depression and affected performance in the workplace.



Yasemin Ahmed produced a story about women losing hair. The item included an interview with Dr Ansam Khalid, who pointed out that malnutrition, caused by UN sanctions imposed on Iraq during the 1990s, was the main reason for the problem.



In addition, the episode featured a vox pop about conditions in maternity hospitals. Shatha Kadhim complained that state facilities were dirty. And Najat al-Abady said they lacked basic services.