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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has decided to allocate 1.6 billion Iraqi dinars for cancer treatment, the Ministry of Health said on Sunday.
The ministry said that the funds were approved for cancer treatment at the Nanakali and Rizgari hospitals in Erbil, Hiwa Cancer Hospital in Sulaimani and Azadi Hospital in Duhok, on an order from Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.
Six hundred million dinars per month will go to Erbil, 700 million dinars to Sulaimani, and 300 million dinars to Duhok to purchase medicine and develop laboratories and other medical supplies, according to a document shared on the government website. It comes a day after the KRG health minister denied Hiwa Cancer Hospital would be closed or privatised amid reports of medicine shortages and unpaid employees.
Employees at Hiwa Cancer Hospital, which treats patients from all over Iraq and neighbouring countries, recently went on strike but have since returned to work, despite their demands not being met.
Patients have also recently spoken to Rudaw about the impact of the medicine shortages.
The Ministry of Finance on Saturday issued a statement saying the problem is “political,” shirking responsibility for the issue, but said it would coordinate with the central bank of the Kurdistan Region to resolve funding problems.
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