Iraq's health system struggles to keep pace with population growth
Shafaq News- Baghdad
The healthcare system is struggling to keep pace with rapid population growth, while provinces devastated by the war against ISIS continue to face acute shortages of hospitals and medical services, a senior member of parliament's Health and Environment Committee said.
Committee member Shahad Al-Hamdani told Shafaq News that rising population levels require a significant expansion of hospitals and primary healthcare centers. She identified Nineveh as one of the clearest examples of the challenges facing the sector, noting that several major hospitals were destroyed during the campaign against ISIS and that reconstruction efforts have yet to fully restore healthcare capacity despite the opening of new medical facilities.
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"The need to build additional hospitals and rehabilitate health infrastructure remains urgent," she noted.
Al-Hamdani also called for accelerating delayed healthcare projects and increasing budget allocations to the sector, saying investment should reflect Iraq's demographic growth and improve access to medical services nationwide.
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She added that improving healthcare delivery also depends on public cooperation with medical guidelines and procedures, helping ease pressure on healthcare workers and overstretched facilities.
