Kurdistan's Duhok inaugurates 100-bed hospital for COVID-19 patients

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region's Duhok province inaugurated a 100-bed hospital for coronavirus patients, a Duhok's top health official, Nezar Taib, announced On Saturday.

Named Lalav Hospital, a Duhok businessman Choli Balata covered the construction costs of the healthcare facility.

Thanks a lot Mr. Cholì Balata for your generosity in Building a 100 bed hospital for treatment of COVID-19 patients in Duhok. pic.twitter.com/giYZmUvxRV

— Nezar Taib (@NezarTaib) June 13, 2020

This is the first time a businessman from the Duhok province builds a hospital on his expenses, Duhok Governor Farhad Atrushi said in a press conference on Sunday.

"Building the hospital only took 33 days," Atrushi added.

The hospital capacity is 100 beds and can accommodate more patients in the future, a source explained to Kurdistan 24. The facility, built on 15,000 square meters of land, is located in Sumel, an Assyrian town in the Duhok.

In early June, Kurdistan Region Health Minister Saman Barzinji announced the opening of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) laboratory, capable of conducting several types of tests for infectious diseases, including the new coronavirus, in Duhok's Akre town.

"PCR laboratories can also test for other diseases such as Hepatitis and HIV viruses," Barzinji added.

Read More: KRG Health Ministry inaugurates new laboratory in Akre

Duhok province has relatively low numbers of coronavirus cases compared to other provinces in the Kurdistan Region, 75 confirmed infections, with 17 of them still active. No one has succumbed to the virus yet in Duhok, according to official data.

Editing by Khrush Najari