https://journal.achsm.org.au/index.php/achsm <p>The Asia Pacific Journal of Health Management (APJHM) is a peer-reviewed journal for managers of organisations offering healthcare and aged care services. The APJHM aims to promote the discipline of health management throughout the region by facilitating the transfer of knowledge among readers by widening the evidence base for management practices.<br /><br />*Print 1(1);2006 - 5(1);2010 Online 4(2);2009 - current<br />*ISSN 2204-3136 (online); ISSN 1833-3818 (print)</p> Australasian College of Health Service Management en-US Asia Pacific Journal of Health Management 1833-3818 https://journal.achsm.org.au/index.php/achsm/article/view/6295 <p><strong>Introduction:</strong> The oil and gas industry is a major contributor to economic development but is also a significant source of environmental pollution and public health risks. Emissions from extraction, refining, and gas flaring release pollutants such as particulate matter (PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which have been associated with respiratory, cardiovascular, reproductive, and carcinogenic health effects. In Iraq, particularly in Basrah, intensive oil production and extensive gas flaring have raised concerns regarding environmental contamination and increasing disease burden.</p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong> A narrative review was conducted using peer-reviewed articles and institutional reports published between 2000 and 2025. Literature was retrieved from major scientific databases using keywords related to oil and gas pollution, gas flaring, air quality, and health impacts in Iraq and similar oil-producing regions.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> The reviewed evidence identified air pollution as the primary exposure pathway affecting human health. Elevated concentrations of PM₂.₅, VOCs, benzene, and other pollutants were reported near oil facilities and gas-flaring sites in Basrah. Studies indicated increased rates of respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, reproductive health problems, and developmental abnormalities among exposed populations. Gas flaring emerged as a major contributor to pollutant emissions and environmental degradation.</p> <p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Oil and gas activities, particularly gas flaring, pose substantial environmental and public health risks in Basrah. Strengthening environmental monitoring, health surveillance, pollution-control measures, and gas recovery infrastructure is essential to reduce exposure and protect affected communities.</p> Anwar Ayoob Ahmed Tareq Shihab Copyright (c) 21 1 https://journal.achsm.org.au/index.php/achsm/article/view/6294 <p>Ensuring better and equal access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) status is a big milestone for implications of sustainable development, particularly in South Asian developing countries which are suffering from rapid population growth and different socio-economic inequality. In the light of worldwide scenario under SDG 6, inequality persist across and within all the countries. This study figures out the spatial variations and temporal changes within the countries, and rural–urban inequalities in WASH services among the eight South Asian countries during the time period of 2000–2024. This study is totally secondary data based from the WHO/UNICEF JMP 2024 and beyond a GIS-based regional patterns assessment and inequalities. Spatiotemporal mapping was used to determine the changes in WASH availabilities, while rural–urban gaps were assessed to entrap inequality mapping. A composite WASH Index also developed to show a united measurement of overall access and enable cross-country linkage.</p> <p>The findings show significant gains in WASH services throughout the region, particularly in sanitation and hygiene. However, progress remains inconsistent. Bhutan and Sri Lanka have attained nearly universal coverage, while Afghanistan continues to lag behind. &nbsp;There are still huge disparities between rural and urban areas, urban areas consistently better than rural areas, especially in sanitation and hygiene. The study displays that development does not ensure everyone having equal access, which makes barrier for achieving SDG 6. By compiling spatial, temporal, and inequality scenario, this study provides a picture for targeted interventions to make WASH development to be more inclusive.</p> Santu Jana Dipak K Midya Copyright (c) 21 1