Shafaq News- Dhi Qar

Dhi Qar's Provincial Council has backed the cancellation of a contract with Qatar-based Apex Health to operate the Turkish Hospital in Nasiriyah, describing the agreement as excessively costly, Abdul Baqi Kadhim, head of the Council's Integrity Committee, told Shafaq News on Thursday.

Kadhim said the company received between 6 billion and 7 billion dinars ($3.95M–$4.61M) a month, regardless of whether it operated the hospital. The monthly payment was expected to fall to 1.6 billion dinars (around $1.05M), he added, stressing the cancellation served residents' interests and protected public funds.

Ahmed al-Khafaji, head of the Provincial Council's Health Committee, said his committee had not been involved in either the contract or its cancellation, noting that the Health Ministry had signed the agreement and was responsible for terminating it.

Earlier today, Health Minister Abdul Hussein al-Mousawi said he had ordered a specialist committee to take over the management of hospitals in Karbala and Dhi Qar previously operated by Apex Health.

The decision not to renew the contracts came after a review of the joint-operation agreements, he added, citing the Ministry's goals of improving health services, reducing operating costs, and aligning hospital management with government priorities.

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