Erbil Hospital shut after unauthorized surgery turns fatal
Shafaq News- Erbil
The Kurdistan Region’s Health Ministry ordered the closure of a private hospital in Erbil on Wednesday after a 21-year-old patient died following emergency surgery allegedly performed in breach of health regulations.
An inspection found that the surgeon was neither licensed to work at the hospital nor listed among its ministry-approved medical staff. The procedure was also carried out despite the facility lacking an emergency department and intensive care unit.
Operating rooms at the hospital had been shut in early June over patient safety concerns, but the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and administration allegedly continued using them through unauthorized entrances, according to the ministry.
It linked the patient’s death to breaches of that order, prompting the entire facility to be closed and its administration and other accused individuals referred to court. The ministry further directed private healthcare providers to maintain valid licenses and employ only officially authorized medical personnel.
A health-sector report published by the Aran Organization for the Development of Civic Culture (AOCC) in June found that 79 private hospitals perform around 102,000 surgeries annually, exceeding the number conducted in the public sector. In a separate survey of 1,600 private-sector health workers in July, ARAN documented nurses working without formal contracts, outside their specialties, and without adequate workplace protections.
