Health system stabilization and reconstruction support is a vital component of post‐conflict and disaster assistance efforts, and has been an essential component of overall reconstruction efforts in Iraq. However, decades of conflict, deprivation of key resources, mismanagement, sanctions, and a massive exodus of health care providers have exacted a grave toll on Iraq's health care capacity; furthermore, the health system continues to suffer from the impact of the ongoing insurgency and sectarian violence. Iraq's key public health indicators are among the worst in the region. In light of these pressing concerns, the humanitarian situation in Iraq presents a unique and ongoing challenge to the international community, aid agencies, and other key stakeholders. This symposium served as a forum for international leaders to review reconstruction efforts thus far and collaboratively plan future steps in Iraq's health system reconstruction.
A survey was conducted to assess trainee perception of the cross-cultural communication competency of U.S. military trainers and their satisfaction with the training they received. Findings from the survey show that U.S. military trainers rely significantly on local interpreters. This indicates variability in the ability of the trainers to communicate effectively with host nation partners, the variability being dependent on the capabilities of the individual interpreter. The findings illustrate the importance of providing military health personnel with training on how to work effectively with interpreters. The use of supplementary resources such as electronic translation devises when the interpreter is not capable of conveying health-related training information with the desired level of accuracy is recommended. Expanding the availability of general cultural training, which provides baseline information on local values, traditions, and customs in addition to health-specific cultural orientation, is also recommended to help military health trainers customize their training content and methods to fit the local environment.
An assessment of the progress on the recommendations from the "Health System Reconstruction in Iraq" conference held in May 2008 (Tarantino et al. 2008) is presented. The overall conclusion is that the healthcare system in Iraq has shown little progress amidst serious challenges and a lack of comprehensive and strategic vision.
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