"I have back and leg pain. Doctors have advised me to reduce my standing to protect my health and that of my baby," said Shaida Omar, who is eight months pregnant.
Shaida, a teacher at Kurdistan New High School in Said Sadiq district of Sulaymaniyah northern province, has three to four classes daily.
"I experience a lot of back and leg pain, especially during physics lessons that involve more explanation and writing, which require me to walk around a lot since I cannot sit down due to educational guidelines that restrict permission before 21 days before giving birth."
According to the guidelines by the Ministry of Education of Kurdistan Regional Government KRG, pregnant teachers must continue teaching until three weeks before giving birth, which contradicts Shaida's doctor's advice, prompting her to seek more rest.
"Sometimes I have to stop to analyze a question, and I feel like I'm going to collapse, so I quickly grab a chair to sit down," she explained.
Soran Mahmoud, the director of education in Said Sadiq, stated that they must follow the Ministry of Education guidelines for pregnant teachers.
“We don’t have any special aids like reducing weekly lessons or providing any special needs.”
However, he added, "If teachers are unwell during pregnancy, they can take a week or 10 days of sick leave."
Shaida suggested that pregnant teachers should have two months of leave before giving birth instead of the current 21 days.
In Said Sadiq district, out of 1,728 teachers, 1,000 are contract teachers who are only granted 21 days of leave before childbirth. After giving birth, teachers are entitled to 52 days of leave, with the option of taking an additional one-year paid leave. However, contract teachers can only take one month of unpaid leave.
Iraq’s healthcare system which was once one of the most advanced in the region now is in serious crisis. There’s a shortage of drugs, buildings and the medical staff to administer it. Over the past three decades the country has been ravaged by Iraqi-Iran war, Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, ousting of Saddam regime followed by sectarian violence, the war against al-Qaeda and the rise of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria ISIS.
The political chaos after 2003, pushed an estimated 15,000 out of 52,000 registered Iraqi doctors to leave the country. The young student doctors primarily seek training and life abroad rather than permanent state employment.
Suham Mohammed, a contract teacher of mathematics who is pregnant and has a six-month-old baby, expressed, "I have many classes where I talk a lot and stand for long periods, making it difficult to give my students their full attention and support."
“I am worried also about post birth and how I can look after my baby since the leave is short. I am also concerned how can I serve my students.”
In Said Sadiq, there is a dedicated department for pregnant women at the health center. In the last four months, 1,111 pregnant women visited the center for examinations and guidance.
"We conduct blood tests, blood pressure checks, and diabetes tests for pregnant women. Sometimes, doctors are available to assist them," shared Jawan Mohammed, an employee at the maternity care department.
“We don’t have written instructions for pregnant women so it is all oral.”
According to statistics from Shahid Shaukat General Hospital in Said Sadiq, 111 children were born naturally in the last first four months.
In 2019, the Iraqi government allocated just 2.5% of the state’s $106.5 billion budget to its health ministry, while security forces received 18% and the oil ministry 13.5%. The same was true for 2014.
Over the past decade, data from the World Health Organization WHO shows, Iraq’s central government has consistently spent far less per capita on healthcare than its much poorer neighbors - $161 per citizen each year on average, compared to Jordan’s $304 and Lebanon’s $649, a report by Reuters found.
Dr. Huda Ahmad, a gynecologist and obstetrician, emphasized, prolonged standing is normal if pregnant woman is in good health. “"But if the mother is overweight, deficient in vitamins, underweight, or has muscle disease, it will definitely affect her.”
"Pregnancy is not an illness, but a natural physiological condition. Pregnant mothers should stay active, exercise, and swim, rather than remain sedentary, to promote a healthy lifestyle."
