Health Minister to Kurdistan 24: For the First Time in Iraq, Soran Now Has Angiography and Cardiac Surgery Services
Health Minister tells Kurdistan 24 that Erbil's Cancer Hospital will be Iraq's largest oncology center at over 190 billion dinars, 20 dialysis centers have opened across the Region, and early cancer detection centers are operating in Raniye, Halabja, and Zakho
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - The Kurdistan Region has brought angiography and cardiac surgery services to the district of Soran for the first time in Iraq's history, Kurdistan Region Minister of Health Saman Barzanji told Kurdistan 24, as part of a sweeping healthcare expansion under the Ninth Cabinet that has seen 31 hospitals built across the Region, six more under active construction, and 21 specialized centers established during the same period.
For the first time at the level of Iraq, Soran is the first district to provide angiography and cardiac surgery services,
the minister told Kurdistan 24.
He added that angiography equipment has also been secured for the district of Koya and will be operational shortly, extending advanced cardiac care to a second district outside the main urban centers.
31 Hospitals Built, Six More Underway
Barzanji confirmed that 31 hospitals have been built during the Ninth Cabinet's tenure and that six additional hospitals are currently under construction and will be completed soon. Several hospital construction projects that had been halted since 2014 have been resumed and are now being completed, including the 25-bed Sidakan Hospital, built at a cost of more than 4 billion dinars and due to open shortly, and the 100-bed Heitut Hospital in Shiladze, completed at a budget of 48 billion dinars.
The six hospitals currently under construction include the Erbil Cancer Hospital, built at a cost of more than 190 billion dinars and described by the minister as the largest cancer treatment center in all of Iraq. Also under construction are the 150-bed Chamchamal Hospital, Piran Hospital, Batifa Hospital in Zakho, a maternity hospital in Qala Diza, and a cancer radiotherapy center in Duhok.
Dialysis and Specialized Centers
Beyond hospital construction, the Ninth Cabinet has established 21 specialized medical centers across the Region, while a national dialysis project has resulted in the opening of approximately 20 dialysis centers across all districts and sub-districts of the Kurdistan Region, ensuring that kidney disease patients in remote areas no longer need to travel to provincial capitals for life-sustaining treatment.
Balanced Development and Cancer Early Detection
Barzanji emphasized that healthcare development is being pursued in a balanced manner across all areas, with particular attention to remote and underserved regions. Early cancer detection centers have been built in Raniye, Halabja, and Zakho, and a larger cancer detection center will soon be built in Erbil. The minister highlighted that attention to cancer services has been a specific priority, with the detection, treatment, and radiotherapy dimensions all being expanded simultaneously.
The scope of the healthcare expansion described by the minister, 31 hospitals built, 6 under construction, 21 specialized centers, 20 dialysis centers, cardiac surgery reaching Soran, and Iraq's largest cancer hospital rising in Erbil, represents the most comprehensive single-cabinet healthcare infrastructure programme the Kurdistan Region has undertaken since its establishment as an autonomous region, and reflects the Ninth Cabinet's stated priority of extending quality medical services beyond provincial capitals to the full geographic breadth of the Region.