Saddam Ally Appointed Health Minister

Doctors wearing their white coats peeled off from a demonstration of around 400 colleagues to hold heated exchanges with Ali Shnan al-Janabi, who was number three at the Health Ministry under President Saddam and has been appointed by the US-led Organisation of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Affairs to head the ministry.

Imad Saud, a resident in cardiothoracic surgery, said: "Before the war, al-Janabi "was a faithful servant of Saddam. How can we trust him?"

Basra Suffers Cholera Outbreak

Health experts have been warning of the potential for a cholera outbreak, given the lack of clean water and sanitation in southern Iraq. Local hospitals have been reporting increasing numbers of patients admitted with diarrhoea and other gastrointestinal complaints.

Basra’s water treatment system was shut down during the war after coalition air strikes damaged the electric grid that powers the water plant. Residents in the city of 2 million went for several weeks without running water. Many collected their drinking water from the Shatt al-Arab river or pilfered water from working pipelines.

To relieve the water shortages, British forces and aid agencies continue to send water tankers through the city and surrounding towns daily. British engineers have succeeded in restoring about 80 per cent of the water system, but the lack of security in the city remains a major problem.

I watched a report about this on BBC last evening. The cholera is hitting the children of Basra very hard. The pictures of the suffering were extremely difficult to view. I can't say if these images are being shown on American news programs as it's been a while since I've bothered to watch them.