By Tashin Qasim
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – After five months of offering a reduced service, an essential hospital in the Snune district of Shingal has been shut down by Hashd al-Shaabi.
Crowds of people visited the Snune General Hospital last week only to find it had closed, forcing them to return home without receiving medical attention.
Malko Nasu suffered a car accident on Monday and visited the hospital, but left without treatment because the gate was locked.
“I had a [car] accident yesterday. I came here but the gate of the hospital was closed,” Nasu told Rudaw, adding that he had to visit two other hospitals outside Snune.
He warned that patients could die without essential services.
Another resident of the district, Hussein Sakhir, asked relevant authorities to grant him access to hospitals in other parts of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
The hospital has lacked medical services since October when Hashd al-Shaabi took control of the district following the withdrawal of Peshmerga forces, but it has been officially shut down for a week.
The district is governed by the Shiite paramilitary forces, but Yezidis have been appointed to hold office.
Khudeda Juke, head of the district, told Rudaw they have shut down the hospital “at the demands of people who have been saying that the hospital has been out of service for five months.”
“When these people say that the hospital should be shut down then I have to abide by the decision of my people.”
He said the hospital has not received any medicine or administrative support from Nineveh provincial council.
More than 7,000 people live in Snune and surrounding areas. This hospital was their only local option.
Dozens of people visit the hospital every day hoping to be served. Many end up travelling to other hospitals in Tal Afar and Mosul.
Another resident told Rudaw they used to go to Rojava for treatment, but now the Turkish threat to fight Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) guerrillas in the region means they are too afraid.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – After five months of offering a reduced service, an essential hospital in the Snune district of Shingal has been shut down by Hashd al-Shaabi.
Crowds of people visited the Snune General Hospital last week only to find it had closed, forcing them to return home without receiving medical attention.
Malko Nasu suffered a car accident on Monday and visited the hospital, but left without treatment because the gate was locked.
“I had a [car] accident yesterday. I came here but the gate of the hospital was closed,” Nasu told Rudaw, adding that he had to visit two other hospitals outside Snune.
He warned that patients could die without essential services.
Another resident of the district, Hussein Sakhir, asked relevant authorities to grant him access to hospitals in other parts of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
The hospital has lacked medical services since October when Hashd al-Shaabi took control of the district following the withdrawal of Peshmerga forces, but it has been officially shut down for a week.
The district is governed by the Shiite paramilitary forces, but Yezidis have been appointed to hold office.
Khudeda Juke, head of the district, told Rudaw they have shut down the hospital “at the demands of people who have been saying that the hospital has been out of service for five months.”
“When these people say that the hospital should be shut down then I have to abide by the decision of my people.”
He said the hospital has not received any medicine or administrative support from Nineveh provincial council.
More than 7,000 people live in Snune and surrounding areas. This hospital was their only local option.
Dozens of people visit the hospital every day hoping to be served. Many end up travelling to other hospitals in Tal Afar and Mosul.
Another resident told Rudaw they used to go to Rojava for treatment, but now the Turkish threat to fight Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) guerrillas in the region means they are too afraid.
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