Iraq investigates hospital drug shortages despite available stock

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Iraqi Health Ministry said on Wednesday that Health Minister Abdul Hussein Al-Mussawi had ordered investigations into hospitals reporting shortages of medicines, including scorpion antivenom, despite supplies being available in state warehouses.

The ministry said the decision followed Al-Mussawi’s inspection of Baghdad’s Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital on Tuesday, where he reviewed medicine availability.

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The inspection found that several medicines were available in warehouses operated by KIMADIA, Iraq’s State Company for Marketing Drugs and Medical Appliances, while shortcomings and delays affected supplies to some healthcare facilities.

Al-Mussawi ordered investigators to determine responsibility for the shortages, hold those responsible accountable, and recommend measures to address the problem and prevent it from recurring.

Read more: Iraq’s Pharmaceutical Crisis: shortages, counterfeit drugs, and ineffective reforms