The U.S.-British invasion "led to the death and injury of thousands of Iraqi civilians and combatants on all sides," said the report

LONDON, November 13 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Iraqis will feel the brunt of the U.S.-British invasion for years and "maybe generations" to come with the "alarming deterioration" of the health care system in the war-ravaged country, unveiled a medical report by a  London-based medical charity.

"What is certain is that the war has led to the death and injury of thousands of Iraqi civilians and combatants on all sides," read a 16-page report by Medact, a medical non-governmental organization grouping health professionals, on Tuesday, November 11.

More than 20,000 Iraqis, 7,500 Iraqi civilians and at least 13,500 soldiers, have died between the start of invasion (in March) and when the report was finalized in late October, said the report carried by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

It added that the invasion has caused "a further deterioration in the health of the Iraqi people and contributed to the chronic stress on the environment".

The report urged U.S. and British forces in Iraq, plus the United Nations, to ensure that the rebuilding of health services is fully funded, and that hospitals and health workers are protected.

It calls for an assessment of chemical risks and a rapid clear-up of unexploded ordnance should be organized, saying that a strong health sector, eventually paid for by progressive taxation, must be established quickly.

"We cannot make an assessment of the health impact this disruption has caused, but the evidence presented in this report suggests it may be considerable," it said.

The report took the blame to occupation forces "for failure to provide full information" and the deteriorated security situation "which caused most U.N. staff and many non-government organizations to leave have led to an information black hole of unique proportions".

The Medact report marked that a breakdown in law and order, lack of security and damage to infrastructure threatened further casualties.

"Limited access to clean water and sanitation, as well as poverty, malnutrition and disruption of public services including health services, continue to have a negative impact on the health of the Iraqi people," the report's co-author, Sabya Farooq, said.

Farooq pointed to dangers such as leftover explosives and ammunition - Unicef has said this has hurt more than 1,000 children - landmines, and risks of cancers from toxic dust from weapons with depleted uranium, according to the Guardian daily.

"The environment is littered with mines, and they are killing humans. A lot of unexploded bomb lets are continuing to injure civilians, particularly children because they are brightly colored," Farooq added.

The report, which is entitled Continuing Collateral Damage: the health and environmental costs of war on Iraq 2003, follows Medact's initial report on the country, Collateral Damage, published in November 2002.

Medact said that the findings were based on a "comprehensive independent survey assessing the health and environmental impact of the war, carried out by an international team of authors and advisers, all experts on health and conflict".

The World Health Organization (WHO) expected in May 2003 a cholera epidemic in southern Iraq, and warned that other infectious waterborne diseases could break out.