KRG Ministry of Health publishes healthcare statistics

There are 135 hospitals and 1,470 health centers in the Kurdistan Region.

Kurdistan 24 2023/07/31 17:21

The logo of the KRG Ministry of Health. (Photo: KRG)

Kurdistan KRG Ministry of Health Hospitals healthcare

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Health on Monday published its latest figures on hospitals in the Kurdistan Region.

There are 135 hospitals – 52 private and 83 public – and 1,470 health centers in the Kurdistan Region, of which 16% are located in cities, 32% in districts, 11% in sub-districts and 41% in villages, according to figures released by the Ministry.

The Ministry clarified that “health centers” refer to smaller, more specialized healthcare practices as opposed to larger, more versatile hospitals.

The total number of beds available in Kurdistan Region hospitals is more than 11,000, of which more than 8,000 are in the public sector and nearly 3,000 are in the private sector.

Moreover, the total number of doctors in the Kurdistan Region is nearly 8,000, of whom about 1,500 are dentists. There are also more than 22,000 nurses, mostly women.

Meanwhile, the total number of medical devices in public hospitals is more than 6,000. Medical devices can refer to a multitude of equipment, such as Electrocardiography (EKG) machines, sterilizers, operating tables, ultrasound machines, syringes, defibrillators, and surgical utensils, among several other types.

In 2022, more than 232,000 various major and minor surgeries were performed in different specialties, which the Ministry claims has reduced the number of patients undergoing surgery abroad.

Previously in mid-July, the Ministry of Health announced a new, state-of-the-art cancer hospital currently being constructed in Duhok province. The Ministry asserted that the hospital, which covers 11,300 square meters and consists of 17 floors, will include 40 clinics, six operating rooms, 80 single-patient rooms, 130 emergency care beds, and 12 recovery beds.

The KRG Ninth Cabinet has frequently lamented the hardships created by the onset of the War on ISIS, the lingering presence of the terrorist group in the Region, and the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has further discussed how these factors have challenged the health infrastructure in the Kurdistan Region.