Iraq Still Lacks Clean Water, Health Care

Five years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, its health care system is “now in worse shape than ever,” and millions of Iraqis still don’t have clean water and medical care, Reuters reports. “The humanitarian situation in most of the country remains among the most critical in the world,” the Red Cross said in a new report.

Some Iraqi families spend at least a third of their monthly income on clean drinking water, and hospitals don’t have enough beds, drugs, or staff. “Better security in some parts of Iraq must not distract attention from the continuing plight of millions,” says the Red Cross’ head of Middle Eastern and African operations. (More Iraq stories.)