ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The COVID-19 pandemic has prevented survivors of the Halabja chemical attack from seeking medical treatment in neighouring Iran amid ongoing border closures.
Hawkar Sabir was three years-old when he survived the Halabja chemical weapons attack in March of 1988.
"I suffer from breathing difficulties. It really hurts. My lungs hurt. It's hard when your lungs lose 75 percent of their capacity," he told Rudaw.
There are almost 1,000 survivors of chemical weapon attacks suffering from chronic health conditions in the Kurdistan Region.
485 of them are in Halabja province. Many of them visit Iran two to three times a year for medical treatment
Sabir planned to visit Iran for medical treatment in February alongside 52 survivors of the chemical attack, but was unable to travel following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, with countries closing borders in an attempt to curb its spread.
People with underlying health conditions, including respiratory illnesses, are at greater risk of suffering complications from COVID-19.
According to local advocacy organizations, efforts to fight the pandemic at a local hospital are preventing those injured in chemical attacks from seeking the treatment they need.
"The hospital they used to receive medical treatment in every month has now been turned into a COVID-19 treatment center. The injured cannot go to the hospital," said Luqman Abdulghafur, head of the Halabja Chemical Victims Society.
"They need the care and assistance now more than at any other time," he added.
Reporting by Horvan Rafaat
