Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah

Hiwa Cancer Hospital in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Al-Sulaymaniyah province has performed Iraq’s first major bone marrow transplant, marking a milestone for the country’s healthcare sector, hospital director Yad Naqshbandi revealed on Sunday.

Speaking at a press conference, Naqshbandi clarified that the procedure was provided free of charge and would have cost about $140,000 outside Iraqi Kurdistan. The patient, he added, recovered quickly following the operation.

Since opening, the Bone Marrow Transplantation Center has treated 523 patients from across the country. Around 40% came from Al-Sulaymaniyah, Halabja, and the Garmian and Raparin administrations, while the remaining 60% traveled from other provinces, including central and southern Iraq.

The facility, he noted, has completed 128 bone marrow transplants for patients from Erbil, 36 for those from Duhok, and 99 for patients from central and southern provinces, serving as “a nationwide referral center for specialized cancer treatment.”

Naqshbandi also disclosed that 40% of the center’s medical staff work voluntarily without salaries from the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Health.

He pointed out that the center receives only limited financial support from both the federal government and the KRG, urging Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Health Minister Saman Barzanji to visit the facility and assess its services. “Sustained funding is essential to maintain and expand specialized cancer care.”

Last February, Barzanji reported that 10,481 new cancer cases were recorded in Iraqi Kurdistan in 2025, with nearly 40% of patients arriving from other Iraqi provinces for treatment.

Across Iraq, the Health Ministry registered more than 43,000 cancer cases in 2024. Lung, colorectal, and leukemia were the most common cancers among men, while breast, thyroid, and colorectal cancers were the leading diagnoses among women.

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