Many buildings have been destroyed and the larger ones are occupied by refugees who live in squalor. Food is plentiful but too expensive for some local inhabitants, until UN Resolution 986, since when free food has been supplied. If shooting occurs one stays indoors. Many local inhabitants carry weapons which are fired by accident, in celebration or in family feuds, often with resulting injuries. The local hospitals all need cleaning and much of the medical equipment is missing or unserviceable.
Nursing care is poor and drugs have to be bought in the bazaar by patients.
In mid-July 1996 I returned for 3 months. The hospital was being enlarged, a third operating room was made and a new Intensive Care Unit was planned, when fighting broke out between the two main political parties. In spite of the lack of public transport, many of the staff came in during the course of the morning and all worked willingly and well for long hours. The Teaching, General and Maternity Hospitals had all closed, so our workload was increased by the road accidents, acute abdomens, etc., which were normally dealt with at these other hospitals. In spite of press reports, we were perfectly safe in Sulaymaniyah, although the city changed hands twice the fighting was some distance away, one party moving out before the other moved in.