On July 11, 2025, in the presence of parliamentarians, health sector officials, field activists, and media outlets, the Aran Organization for the Development of Civil Culture published its fifth investigative report on the Kurdistan Region's healthcare system, with the support of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
The report covers several important topics, including the pharmaceutical trade in the Kurdistan Region. This section delves into the medicine trade, issues with medication in the public sector, and the presence of counterfeit drugs in the Kurdistan Region. It also reveals for the first time that regional and domestic Iraqi militia groups, including the Lebanese Hezbollah and certain Iraqi militias, are involved in counterfeiting well-known pharmaceutical brands and distributing them in the markets of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
Also in the report, the weakening of the Sulaymaniyah Governorate's healthcare services is examined. The findings indicate that the Kurdistan Region's Ministry of Health provides services on a political basis rather than a scientific one. Furthermore, the Ministry of Planning has a minimal or non-existent role in creating the Ministry of Health's service map.
In its investigative report, the Aran Organization team concluded that the privatization of public hospital laboratories violates the Iraqi Constitution and the laws of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. Specifically, it contravenes Articles 27 and 31 of the Iraqi Constitution. Article 27 emphasizes the importance of the nation's resources, stating they must not be wasted but preserved and used to serve citizens; however, this contract lacks this principle. Article 31 obligates the state to provide health services and build hospitals, but this contract violates this article. It also contravenes Iraqi and Kurdistan Region laws, such as the Law of Patient Rights and Duties, the Law of the Ministry of Health, the Law on Prohibiting Monopoly, and the Iraqi Public Contracts Law issued by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). Moreover, the report shows that privatizing public hospital labs contradicts the concept of 'health democracy,' which emphasizes public consent and participation in decisions related to the health sector and the importance of authorities considering their opinions.
The report meticulously examines the decisions issued by the Ministry of Health aimed at preventing human body trafficking and regulating cosmetic centers. These decisions are assessed as very positive, and their sustained implementation is stressed as crucial.
Following media coverage of the report, a special discussion was held. Attendees included: Dr. Umid Ali, physician specialist and member of the Kurdistan Parliament; Dr. Fatih Sangawi, member of the Kurdistan Parliament; Azad Muhammad Amin, member of the Kurdistan Parliament; Hawzhin Osman, head of the Sulaymaniyah branch of the Health Workers' Syndicate; Dr. Chalak Qashani, member of the Supreme Council of the Kurdistan Doctors' Syndicate; Dr. Soran Omar Hama, head of private sector inspections at the Sulaymaniyah General Directorate of Health; pharmacist Dr. Zhwan Sharif Abdulrahman from the private sector inspection department at the Sulaymaniyah General Directorate of Health; health activists and pharmacists Dr. Twana Muhammad and Dr. Yad Hamid; and lawyer Shara Nuri Abdulrahim, an expert in healthcare sector management.
The attendees discussed the report section by section, and several important recommendations were presented on how to address the problems identified. The Aran Organization, in partnership with the attendees, will subsequently work towards implementing these solutions.
The ceremony was broadcast live by more than twenty media channels.
