21 May 1999
UN CONCERNED ABOUT MEDICINES DISTRIBUTION IN IRAQ
(Secretary General reports on oil-for-food program) (780) By Judy Aita USIA United Nations Correspondent United Nations -- The United Nations is concerned about the delay in distributing medical supplies and equipment in Iraq with almost $300 million of much-needed supplies still in warehouses, according to a report to the Security Council. On May 21, the Security Council began discussing Secretary General Kofi Annan'S 180-day report on the so-called "oil-for-food" program under which Iraq is allowed to sell more than $5,000 million worth of oil every six months to buy food, medicine, and other humanitarian supplies under UN supervision. The Iraqi Government is responsible for distributing the medicine and supplies in central and southern Iraq according to a plan approved by the UN. The United Nations handles the supplies for the northern Kurdish provinces. The delay between receiving the medical supplies at the Kimadia central warehouse and getting them to the hospitals and clinics is about three months, the secretary general said. "However, as the amount of drugs, supplies and equipment remaining in warehouses has risen to almost $300 million, concern about the efficiency of distribution has increased." The reasons for distribution bottlenecks are "multiple and complex," Annan said, but a key reason is "the decline in professional competence and motivation." He also cited erratic arrivals of goods, bulkier equipment and spare parts that strain the handling capacity of the warehouse, lack of transport, problems with quality control testing, no technical staff to install some of the equipment, and inventory management problems. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that "the Kimadia warehouses currently operate at 20 to 35 percent of their pre-sanction capacity. The warehouses have no proper handling equipment, and lack transport to move the supplies to end-user facilities," the secretary general said. The secretary general also reported that after 25 months of distributing basic foodstuffs, the impact of the program is still difficult to measure. The daily caloric intake has been increased over the course of the program and the upcoming rations are planned to further raise caloric, protein and calcium intake. But delays in shipments and submission of contracts for a range of foods have also cut the amount of the food basket distribution. Because of limited stocks of vegetable oil, salt and dairy items, the Iraqi Government was not able to provide a full food basket in the past 180-day period. In spite of the food baskets, the prevalence of general malnutrition in central and southern Iraq has changed little in the past two years, Annan reported. For example, general malnutrition among children under five in central and southern Iraq was found in 23.4 percent of the children in 1996, in 24.7 percent in 1997, and in 22.8 percent of children in the latest survey in March 1998. A serious drought is threatening agriculture production and needs urgent attention, the secretary general also said. The Tigris Basin has the lowest water flow rate ever recorded. The drought could cause an estimated 37 percent loss of the wheat crop and 63 percent of the barley crop in central and southern Iraq, he said. "As crop stand is poor and the plants in wilt stage, and as climatic conditions have not been favorable from mid-season to present, all indications point to a wheat and barley crop failure. Livestock and poultry health and production will also be adversely affected as the availability of grazing resources become scarce," Annan said. The secretary general also reported that the program has provided $56 million in water and sanitation supplies, undertook a special study to review the performance of a large portion of water treatment plants, delivered $26.6 million in agro chemicals and 5.84 million broiler (chicken) hatching eggs, and bought $90 million worth of equipment for the electric power industry. The secretary general said that the 335 million barrels of oil approved for export during the 180-day period was the highest amount since the beginning of the program. But in December 1998, crude oil prices dropped to $7 a barrel, its lowest mark. Prices are beginning to recover but the revenue for the entire period is estimated at only $3,900 million. The revenues are allocated to seven different accounts, the largest being that for the purchase of humanitarian goods. The money also goes to a compensation fund for victims of the invasion of Kuwait, the UN Special Commission Overseeing the destruction of Iraqi weapons (UNSCOM), and to defray the cost of overseeing the oil-for-food program.
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