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Saudi Arabia allocates Grant for Renovation of Ibn Al Khatib Hospital

By John Lee.

Iraq and Saudi Arabia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding the allocation of a grant from the government of Saudi Arabia to finance the renovation of Ibn Al Khatib Hospital in Baghdad.

The Saudi embassy initially announced its support for the hospital last year, following a fire that killed at least 82 people, and left more than 100 injured.

The grant will be provided through the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD).

During the meeting, Iraq’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Dr. Abdul Sattar Hadi Al-Janabi, praised the critical role played by the Kingdom through the SFD in supporting the health sector and the infrastructure in Iraq. He highlighted the importance of the present project in enhancing the livelihood of many Iraqis and their access to essential health services.

According to the official Saudi Press Agency, the Kingdom has allocated $1.5 billion for soft loans through SFD to support development in Iraq.

(Source: Saudi Press Agency)

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Construction Starts at $94m Shatra Hospital

By John Lee.

The Secretary-General of Iraq’s Council of Ministers, Dr. Hamid Naim Al-Ghazi [Hamed Al Gazi] has laid the foundation stone for a 200-bed general hospital in Shatra City, in Dhi Qar province.

The hospital will serve the inhabitants of Shatra and the surrounding areas.

UK-based Protechnique will complete the project within 36 months, under the supervision of Japanese engineering firm ITEC and the Iraqi Ministry of Health.

Funding for the $94-million project includes a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

(Source: Protechnique)

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How Corruption Erodes Healthcare in Iraq

By Mac Skelton and Abdulameer Mohsin Hussein, for the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.

Medicine Under Fire – How Corruption Erodes Healthcare in Iraq

The April and July 2021 hospital fires in Nasiriya and Baghdad left hundreds dead, adding insult to injury for a medical system that had already buckled under the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic. Why did these deadly fires transpire?

In the media, journalists highlighted a lengthy series of contributing factors leading to the tragedy, including flimsy and highly flammable construction materials, the explosion of mismanaged oxygen tanks, electrical shorts, and a lack of fire safety equipment.

Underlying these defects, ordinary Iraqis pointed to a deeper cause: pervasive corruption in the healthcare sector. Corruption, they alleged, explained why it was that an oil-rich country had not built and maintained safe and secure health facilities.

This preliminary paper looks to the tragic phenomenon of mass-casualty hospital fires in Iraq’s COVID-19 wards to kickstart a larger policy-oriented conversation on the political drivers, key mechanisms, and human costs of corruption in the healthcare sector.

Broadly speaking, the research contends that political parties in control of the healthcare system compromise the safety and efficacy of both public and private hospitals by systematically evading quality controls and maximizing profits from medical supply chains at all costs.

Click here to download the full report.

(Source: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung)

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Jordanian Firm to build Shatrah General Hospital

By John Lee.

The Iraqi Ministry of Health has signed the contract for the construction of the Shatrah General Hospital, in Dhi Qar governorate.

Acting Minister of Health, Dr. Hani Al-Uqabi, signed the contract with a Jordanian company to build the 200-bed facility, with fund including a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The hospital will serve a population of approximately 400,000 people.

(Source: General Secretariat for the Council of Ministers)

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Nassiriyah Hospital Fire: Arrest Warrants Issued

By John Lee.

Authorities in Iraq are facing accusations of negligence following the fire at the al-Hussein coronavirus hospital in Nassiriyah on Monday.

Estimates of the death toll range from 60 to over 100, with more than 100 people injured.

The fire is believed to have started when sparks from faulty wiring caused an oxygen tank to explode.

Arrest warrants have been issued for several officials.

(Sources: Reuters, BBC, The New Arab)

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New COVID-19 Isolation Unit at Soran Hospital

Ministry of Health Kurdistan, UNFPA open COVID-19 isolation unit at Soran maternity hospital

The Ministry of Health of the Kurdistan Regional Government through the Directorate of Health in Erbil, with support from UNFPA opened a COVID-19 isolation unit at the Soran Maternity hospital in Erbil on 3 February 2021.

The isolation unit has the capacity to treat up to six women at once. It was equipped with medical supplies, Personal Protective Equipment, six examination beds and two delivery beds worth US$ 100,000.

The facility that provides daily around-the clock care, is fully equipped by UNFPA and the Soran hospital administration. The staff are also provided with PPEs and medical supplies and have been trained on national guidelines on management of pregnancy and child birth during COVID19.

In addition to the isolation unit at Soran maternity hospital, UNFPA, with funding from the Swedish Government, supported the establishment of isolation units for COVID-19 at maternity hospitals in Zakho, Sulaymaniyah and Halabja.

UNFPA Deputy Representative, Mr. Himyar Abdulmoghni spoke on the occasion and said:

“All childbirths should be safe at all times and no woman should be denied quality reproductive health services under any circumstances, including crises and pandemics. We are working with the Ministry of Health in the Kurdistan Region to ensure quality services to all pregnant women and safe deliveries despite COVID-19.”

Dr Mahabad Dilawar, the Head of Soran Maternity Hospital, thanked UNFPA for the efforts in building the isolation unit saying:

“We are saving time and cost for pregnant women who had to travel long distances to deliver their babies. Through this isolation unit, we serve quality services to pregnant women with COVID-19.”

UNFPA supports the Kurdistan Regional Government to strengthen the health system’s capacity, provide essential supplies, improve access to sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence services, and promote risk communication and community engagement.

(Source: UN)

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Al-Kadhemi opens new Medical Center in Najaf

By John Lee.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhemi has opened the new Al-Shifa Medical Center 13 at Al-Kindi Hospital in Najaf.

The new facility is built on an area of two thousand square meters, with capacity of 120 beds, including 48 beds for intensive care.

It has beds for dialysis and an integrated oxygen system, in addition to x-ray and sonar rooms, laboratory and other services.

(Source: Govt of Iraq)

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Iraqi Cabinet Approves Loans from Saudi Arabia

By John Lee.

The Iraqi Cabinet held its weekly meeting on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, at which it agreed to:

  • Authorise the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to coordinate with the Ministry of Youth and Sports on the implementation of the National Project for Youth Employment
  • Approve the financial conditions of two loans from the Saudi Fund for Development, and to authorise a representative of the Ministry of Finance to sign the necessary contracts for the construction of a silo for wheat storage in Diwaniyah and the Saqlawiya Hospital in Anbar
  • Authorise the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority to negotiate and sign a draft air transport agreement between the Republic of Iraq and the Kingdom of Bahrain, as amended by the State Council

(Source: Govt of Iraq)

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KfW Bank supports Construction of 4 Hospitals in Iraq

The number of cases of COVID-19-infected persons is also rapidly increasing in Iraq. The peak of the disease is expected in autumn. At least four new hospitals are to be built in the country’s largest cities by then.

KfW is financing the construction on behalf of the German government with an initial amount of EUR 15 million. The contract was signed 23 July 2020.

At the end of April lockdown and corona restrictions were lifted in Iraq. Since then the number of cases has risen sharply. A peak in infections is expected in autumn, which will overburden the infrastructure of the health care facilities.

By then, almost 50,000 beds in hospitals, including 12,000 intensive care beds, will be needed for the treatment of COVID-19 patients alone. In Iraq, however, there are only just under 50,000 hospital beds at all, including about 700 intensive care beds.

To support the Iraqi health system KfW is financing the construction of at least four hospitals on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) with an initial EUR 15 million. It is being examined whether further hospitals can be financed in a further phase.

A simulation of the course of infection according to a WHO model showed that the conurbations will suffer the highest case numbers. Therefore, four hospitals are planned in the major cities of Baghdad, Basra, Niniveh and Süleymaniye.

They will initially be built as temporary hospitals in modular prefabricated construction, but in the long term they can serve as regular hospitals. Each hospital will have 100 beds, including 40 intensive care beds. In the short term, more than 7,000 patients will benefit directly. But the separate treatment of COVID-19 patients in separate facilities is beneficial for all patients in the country, because otherwise isolation could not be guaranteed.

“This is a quick and lean response to the pandemic in Iraq, but we have to win the race against time and build the hospitals before case numbers continue to escalate,” stresses KfW portfolio manager Moritz Remé. After many years of armed conflict the need for reconstruction in Iraq is particularly high. Income from the oil business has fallen due to the sharp drop in prices in recent months. Help from Germany is therefore urgently needed in Iraq.

(Source: KfW)