US embassy cable - 03KUWAIT2521

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 002521 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE ALSO PASS USAID/W 
STATE PLEASE REPEAT TO IO COLLECTIVE 
STATE FOR PRM/ANE, EUR/SE, NEA/NGA, IO AND SA/PAB 
NSC FOR EABRAMS, SMCCORMICK, STAHIR-KHELI, JDWORKEN 
USAID FOR USAID/A, DCHA/AA, DCHA/RMT, DCHA/FFP 
USAID FOR DCHA/OTI, DCHA/DG, ANE/AA 
USAID FOR DCHA/OFDA:WGARVELINK, BMCCONNELL, KFARNSWORTH 
USAID FOR ANE/AA:WCHAMBERLIN 
ROME FOR FODAG 
GENEVA FOR RMA AND NKYLOH 
ANKARA FOR AMB WRPEARSON, ECON AJSIROTIC AND DART 
AMMAN FOR USAID AND DART 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PREF, IZ, WFP 
SUBJECT:  DART UPDATE ON BABIL 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  The start of the June 1 food distribution was delayed 
one day in Babil because food agents needed to replace old 
food-recipient lists with updated ones that included newly 
registered people, such as newborns and returning Babil 
residents.   The DART participated in the daily Governorate 
Support Team meeting in Al Hillah, providing updates on the 
food distribution and DART partner activities in Al Hillah. 
The DART returned to Al Hillah pediatric hospital and found 
some conditions improved.  End Summary. 
 
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BABIL FOOD DISTRIBUTION DELAYED ONE DAY 
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2.  The June public distribution system (PDS) began in Al 
Hillah with food agents obtaining the new registration lists 
for their beneficiaries from the Ministry of Trade (MOT) re- 
registration center.  The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) 
staff confirmed that the lists were ready and that the 
agents would begin ration pick-up at the main warehouse on 2 
June.  WFP international sub-office staff briefed Coalition 
operations officers on security procedures at the warehouse 
on 1 June. 
 
3.  The DART visited the cold warehouse facility that 
currently stores sugar and tea commodities, and noticed 
possible unexploded ordnance (UXO) contamination at the 
facility.  The DART will request from the Civil Military 
Operations Center (CMOC) in Al Hillah that a UXO sweep the 
area. This cold-store facility is not involved in the 
current distribution. 
 
4.  The DART met with two members of the Salvation Army (SA) 
to discuss the SA/WFP memorandum of agreement and the 
present WFP plans for the June distribution. SA said it had 
been assigned to Al Hillah to assist WFP in monitoring on- 
going distributions. 
 
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DEMONSTRATION AT AL HILLAH CITY HALL 
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5.  "With our souls, we will sacrifice to protect our 
country," chanted 200 to 250 former Iraqi soldiers and 
others outside Al Hillah's City Hall where the CMOC is 
based, angry over their loss of jobs and lack of salaries. 
Some had also expressed anger over newly distributed CMOC 
weapons-collections fliers by tearing them up and throwing 
them in the air. 
 
6.  A Civil Affairs officer of the Governorate Support Team 
(GST) announced a draft proposal to create an Al Hillah 
"conservation corps," employing 200 people for such projects 
as painting public buildings, installing trash cans in 
Babil, planting trees along highways, and building 
playgrounds and public benches.  It would be a branch of the 
municipal public works department.  Any citizen could 
nominate a public-works project for the corps through the 
city council.  There are no funds currently earmarked for 
the corps, and there is doubt whether it could be 
sustainable.  It also requires the governor's approval. 
 
7.  The GST health officer said the Ministry of Health (MOH) 
drug distribution center of Babil was sending three trucks 
to MOH-Baghdad tomorrow to pick up medical equipment and 
supplies.  The manager of the Babil pharmacy department, 
confirmed the plan.  She also announced that the Coalition 
forces based in Al Hillah had donated to the Babil MOH some 
excess medical supplies. 
 
8.  A Civil Affairs officer reported there was no news of re- 
supplies of benzene, and added that liquid petroleum gas 
(LPG) "was another nightmare."  Coalition forces faced 
hostile crowds that threw stones at them yesterday at a 
Babil LPG distribution center because of anger over LPG 
shortages and an unorganized local distribution process.  At 
least for the short-term, the Coalition forces will control 
the individual sale of LPG at this distribution center. 
 
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AL HILLAH PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL 
---------------------------- 
 
9.  Since the DART last visited the Babylon Maternity and 
Children's Hospital in Al Hillah on 15 May, the security, 
drug supply, electricity, and staff productivity have 
improved.   However, salaries remain unpaid, and there are 
shortages of oxygen and certain essential drugs, according 
to the hospital's director.  He also said the hospital's air- 
conditioning system was failing and that three of four 
elevators were out of service.  A drug shipment arrived at 
the MOH drug warehouse in Babil last week from MOH in 
Baghdad, providing some relief to the hospital that now has 
sufficient stock of most drugs for June. 
 
10.  Certain drugs remain short, including Pentostam, a drug 
for "Black Fever" disease.  The director said 42 vials 
arrived last week, but 200 would be needed to cover the 
hospital's need for this year.  A lack of Pentostam is 
chronic.  "I think a large number (died this year) because 
of shortage," he said. 
 
11.  Security has improved at the hospital even though the 
director's request for a Coalition security presence was 
denied.  He is pleased about reports that the hospital self- 
financing system will gradually disappear.  He thought a fee- 
for-service system was especially hard on the poor. 
Electricity was bad through last week, the director said, 
but has improved each day.  The hospital's two generators 
are working well. 
 
12.  Over 60 percent of children arriving at the hospital 
suffer from gastrointestinal problems, the director said. 
In the last month, the director said there had been only one 
to two suspected cholera cases.  Last year, the director 
said there had been a cholera "epidemic."  About 60 to 70 
percent of the female adult patients are anemic, according 
to a female doctor of gynecology at the hospital who said 
anemia had increased dramatically under 12 years of 
international sanctions on Iraq.  Prior to the Gulf War in 
1991, she said she had treated relatively few anemic women 
in a health clinic where she worked. 
 
13.  The hospital normally requires 30 to 40 bottles of 
oxygen per day; today it makes due with 10 to 15.  Some 
relief is expected from the international "Red Cross" that 
promised the hospital 80 bottles of oxygen.  A truck was 
sent to Baghdad today to pick them up.  Oxygen is currently 
rationed in surgical procedures, used only at the beginning 
and end of operations.  Minor surgery uses no oxygen.  As a 
result, only one of four surgical theaters is open.  "All 
the patients are standing there (waiting)," the female 
doctor said, "one after the other" to undergo surgery.   The 
premature baby's ward had several incubators, all working 
well.  The hospital's director said they were only five 
years old.  "That's very new for us," he said. 
 
JONES