Patients left in corridors: Neglect grips Baghdad psychiatric hospital
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Severe neglect at Baghdad’s Al-Rashad Psychiatric Hospital is leaving patients without adequate care and forcing the facility to seek daily emergency funding, Iraq’s Independent High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR) warned on Thursday.
In a statement, the Commission said the hospital needs about $7,600 a day to meet basic operating requirements, citing inspection findings that showed patients staying in corridors and outdoor areas despite cold weather, as well as the absence of an external perimeter fence and extensive deterioration of hospital buildings.
IHCHR further highlighted acute shortages of medical and nursing staff, essential supplies, and specialized medications, particularly for epilepsy, while wards remain overcrowded with patients transferred from provinces across Iraq.
Mounting financial strain has deepened the crisis, the Commission added, pointing to substantial debts owed to suppliers that have disrupted the quality and continuity of care for inpatients.
Calling for urgent intervention, the commission urged immediate financial support to stabilize operations, stressed the need to safeguard the rights of psychiatric patients, and recommended establishing specialized hospitals in other provinces to ease pressure on Baghdad.
Previous Shafaq News reporting has documented the long-term psychological impact of war and instability on Iraqi society, highlighting persistent gaps in mental health infrastructure across the country.
Read more: Iraq's psychological wounds: A generation scarred by conflict
