PM Barzani decrees employment of 130 health workers in Halabja
In mid-March, the Iraqi government recognized Halabja as the 19th province of the country.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has decreed the employment of 130 medical workers for the Halabja province in a bid to improve the area’s health sector, according to a government state on Monday.
Barzani ordered employing 130 individuals as contract workers, 30 of whom would work in the Biyara sub-district while the remaining contractors will be working inside Halabja city, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government.
In mid-March, the Iraqi government recognized Halabja as the 19th province of the country.
Marking its fourth anniversary, the KRG has announced that it had allocated money for the implementation of hundreds of projects in the city.
During the 1980s, the former Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein subjected Halabja – then part of Sulamiani province – to chemical attacks as part of its deadly Anfal operation against ethnic Kurds, now widely recognized as genocide. The chemical bombardment left as many as 5,000 dead, including women and children.
In addition to direct injuries sustained in the actual chemical attack, a significant percentage of the population has developed multiple chronic health conditions as a result of exposure to the toxic substances used. Thirty-four years after the attacks, the survivors and victims of the tragedy are still struggling with chronic health consequences.
Since 2014, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has recognized Halabja as its fourth province, after Duhok, Erbil, and Sulaimani.