Erbil/ IRAQ— More than 40 babies are being born to internally displaced families every day in Duhok governorate within Kurdistan Region, official statistics show. According to Duhok Health Directorate figures, approximately 2,700 newborns to internally displaced families were registered in two months.

Dr. Bakhtiar Ahmed, head of the technical department at Duhok Health Directorate said UNFPA support for 55 health service providers was very crucial and"contributed effectively to assuring safe place and services for the delivery of more than 2,700 internally displaced women across Duhok Governorate". He added that UNFPA’s support and contribution is highly appreciated and looked forward to receiving the same support for the next months ahead.

In response to the crisis, UNFPA is providing the Ministry of Health of Kurdistan Region with technical support, equipment and reproductive health kits, with funding support from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

According to Dr. Wael Hatahet, UNFPA humanitarian programs coordinator, the UNFPA supports the health directorates in the region to provide antenatal and postnatal care for the internally displaced women, in addition to conducting reproductive health awareness campaigns. He also stressed the importance of collaborating with the health authorities to ensure safe delivery of pregnant women.

Since January 2014, the number of Iraqi IDPs has reached approximately 1.9 million of whom, 450,000 are women and girls of reproductive age. At least 72,000 women are estimated to be pregnant out of whom approximately 10,000 will be facing pregnancy related complications.