On 29 April 2026, in Sulaymaniyah at Titanic Hotel, Aran Organization for Developing Civil Culture, supported by the National Endowment for Democracy, organized an important conference on “Reforming the Health Sector Strategy in the Kurdistan Region – Conditional Licensing for Private Hospitals.”

The conference was held with the participation of the Ministry of Health, representatives from health directorates, and institutions of the public health sector. During the discussions, participants engaged in an in-depth dialogue around a proposal developed by Aran Organization. The Ministry of Health also expressed its positive view of the initiative.

The proposal introduces a new approach for licensing private hospitals and health institutions, linking their licensing conditions to social responsibility commitments. According to the model, private hospitals would be required to allocate a percentage of their services at government-equivalent prices for low-income citizens. This approach is based on a “social participation health system” that has already been successfully implemented in countries such as Brazil, South Africa, India, and Turkey.

The proposed system aims to create a balanced relationship between the public and private health sectors: strengthening public health support while ensuring that vulnerable groups can access affordable healthcare. At the same time, it encourages the sustainable growth of the private health sector while expanding access to services for more citizens.

The conference was attended by a high-level delegation from the Ministry of Health and several senior representatives from health institutions across the Kurdistan Region, including:

• Dr. Saman Hama Khurshid, Advisor to the Minister of Health for Health Affairs
• Dr. Bawaji Ahmad Salih, Director of Continuous Professional Development, Ministry of Health
• Dr. Sanger Muhammad Rafiq, Deputy Director General of Health, Halabja
• Sharif Rahim Muhammad, Deputy Director of Health, Chamchamal
• Azad Hama Faraj, Spokesperson of General Directorate of Health, Garmian
• Dr. Zardasht Bakr, Spokesperson of Hiwa Hospital, Sulaymaniyah
• Muhammad Ali, Deputy Director of the Heart Rehabilitation Center, Sulaymaniyah
• Dr. Jwan Sharif Abdulrahman, Head of Private Sector Inspection, General Directorate of Health, Sulaymaniyah
• Dr. Bnar Sardar Saeed, Kidney Treatment Center, Sulaymaniyah

The conference was widely covered by several media outlets in the Kurdistan Region. All recommendations and outcomes will be formally submitted to the Ministry of Health for further review and decision-making.