MSF rehabilitates health facility affected by flood in Erbil  

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The international organization for the Doctors Without Borders announced on Tuesday that it would rehabilitate a healthcare facility damaged by the recent floods in southern Erbil.

Qushtapa Primary Health Care Service “ceased to operate after the floods,” Esther van der Woerdt, the head of the international organization’s mission in Iraq, known by its French acronyms MSF, said in a statement shared with Kurdistan 24 on Tuesday. 

Residents of Qushtapa have been deprived of healthcare services due to the damage to the facility. 

The Erbil Health Directorate will cooperate with MSF to rehabilitate the facility, the humanitarian organization said. 

Once the damage is repaired, the MSF will provide medicine and medical equipment as well as technical expertise to the staff, according to the statement.

The organization “will also install flood protective measures in the center that will prevent and minimize the impact of future floods,” the press release added. 

Erbil authorities had previously announced that the damage caused by the Dec. 17, 2021 flash floods is estimated to be around 20 billion Iraqi dinars (over $13 million) worth of damage. So far, only six billion dinars (approximately $4 million) have been collected in the form of donations. 

The MSF has been operating in Iraq since 1991, providing medical assistance to those living in conflict zones.