U.N. seeks aid to bolster health of displaced Iraqis

GENEVA (Reuters) - Five United Nations agencies appealed to donors on Tuesday for $85 million to combat illness and malnutrition among more than 2 million Iraqis who have fled war and violence in their country.

The U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.N. children's agency UNICEF said the funds would be used to improve access to reproductive and child health care, as well as treatment for cancer patients, trauma victims and amputees.

Vaccination cover must also be reinforced in many cases, while unemployment and economic woes among the displaced had caused rising malnutrition, the agencies said in a statement released in Geneva.

"The health needs of more than 2 million displaced Iraqis should not be ignored. Many are survivors of violence and have serious medical conditions," they said, stressing that Iraqis streaming into Syria, Jordan and other countries over the past year had "put an enormous strain" on host governments.

"The burden on their health systems has become overwhelming and requires immediate and urgent support from the international community," their statement read. The $85 million would cover health assistance until the end of next year.