4Basra

Sick children trapped in Iraq

Sir: In his response to your story about the plight of Iraq’s children (19 January), the tone of which suggested this government is preparing to wash its hands of the situation, Hilary Benn (letter, 20 January) did not address one point that I’d like to raise again.

The UK and US could do a lot more to assist children with the most serious medical conditions requiring urgent attention. By not doing so, both governments are reinforcing their own negative image not just in the region, but throughout the world.

Laying on helicopters or planes to ferry the most acute medical cases to neighbouring countries would be a life-saving measure where visa restrictions and huge air fares (a return air fare from Basra to Amman costs over £400), added to an already perilous security situation make it almost impossible for parents seeking to find specialists who can treat their children.

One of my colleagues recently appealed to the King of Jordan for assistance in this regard, which turned out to be unsuccessful. My own appeal to airlines in the region also saw us facing a bill of over £20,000 to fly 22 children, each accompanied by a parent, to the Jordanian capital of Amman. Road travel through much of Iraq to the surrounding countries is simply too dangerous for sick children whose conditions make them doubly vulnerable.

The Labour party in particular have always been proud of the NHS, and Tony Blair has in the past said it underpins Labour’s political ideology. However, when it comes to the health of Iraq’s most innocent and vulnerable citizens, he and Hilary Benn could make a small gesture and in some small way uphold that ideal in Iraq.

JOHN REYNOLDS

FOUNDER, 4BASRA, DUBLIN

Postscript: Only a few of the children with congenital heart defects were able to make it to Damascus to see the specialists who were visiting from France. Their parents had to borrow money from relatives and my colleague who works for our European partner NGO paid for a ticket for one child out of her own pocket.

Detailed medical reports were given to the French team and they agreed that even though they hadn’t been assessed in person, they can still travel to France for treatment.

My colleague has secured treatment in her country for several children whose conditions required urgent attention, and they are being treated and looked after there at the moment, receiving the best of care.

Even so, when the remaining children travel to France, they will first have to reach Damascus, and so there will be costs associated with this. Any donations will be put towards their travel from Basra so that they can reach France safely and receive the care and attention they need.

If you’re visiting this site after reading the Big Issue article and would like to make a donation, please email for further details or use the Paypal link on the right hand side.

Old-fashioned cheques will be gratefully accepted. They can be made payable to me and posted to the address here on the site.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the response and would like to thank everyone who has emailed. I was unprepared for such a response but Eoghan, our web designer has saved the day and added a Paypal link. (Thanks Eoghan!)

The group of children with congenital heart defects will be travelling to France later this year for treatment. A couple of urgent cases were brought to Europe by our partner there very recently, partly at her own considerable expense.

Your money will help the children and a parent accompanying them to reach Damascus so that they can travel to France from there.

I will try and email all donors a thank you letter with a few more details.

As one or two of you have pointed out, we’re not a registered charity and don’t have a registration number anywhere on here.

I’m hoping to tackle that one as soon as I can by finding some volunteers on Boardmatch Ireland who will help with management, co-ordination and time management. If they can help us register as a charity, then that would be great. (Get On Board seems to be the equivalent in the UK from their recent ads I’ve seen)

I’m trying to think of a way to further publicise the fact that many parents with children who have serious medical conditions cannot find anyone to treat them in Iraq, and they face various hurdles and pitfalls – not least their own safety in much of the country if they travel by road – which are very difficult and expensive to overcome.

One or two ideas are in the pipeline and I’m hoping to find time to see them through to completion amidst the dozen or so other tasks piling up as I write.

Finally, The Independent published this article and a letter from nearly 100 leading doctors in the UK about the health conditions facing Iraqi children. I’ve written a letter too which I’ll publish on here shortly if they don’t publish it.

The latest Big Issue England & Wales edition features a piece on 4Basra.

I’m not sure what day it hits the streets, or if the magazine that’s sold in Dublin is the same one.

The magazine has a considerable readership, and every little bit of publicity helps.

I’ll publish the piece on here in due course.

Meanwhile, I’ll be visiting London next week for a couple of meetings which I hope will be both helpful and interesting. As usual there is a backlog of things I need to do piling up, at least one of which I should be able to tackle before I go. More details soon…

James Corbett, otherwise known as Eirepreneur, interviewed me about 4Basra and social entrepreneurship in December.

Read the interview here.