SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) ministry of health said on Tuesday it would form a committee to investigate the issue of shortages of medicine in Sulaimani province.
Shortages of medicine and medical equipment have emerged in Sulaimani since last year due to the government’s failure to provide financial entitlements to the companies supplying medicine to the province.
Health officials in Sulaimani said earlier this week that part of hospitals including Hiwa hospital and maternity hospitals would halt services due to lack of medicine and equipment in the province.
In a communique signed by health minister Saman Barzinji, the ministry said it would form a committee to investigate the issue in the province.
“The committee will investigate the issues on ground in the province of Sulaimani,” it added.
Shortages of medicine and medical equipment at Sulaimani hospitals occurred in April 2021 after the Ministry of Finance increased tax rate paid by the medical companies to 2%.
Pharmaceutical companies on February 16 threatened they would halt the supply of medicine to the directorate of health in Sulaimani due to accumulation of debts on the Kurdish government.
Representatives of the pharmaceutical companies protested in Sulaimani against government’s failure to repay their debt, saying they would not provide any drugs to the provinces of Sulaimani and Halabja.
They said the Kurdistan Regional Government owed the companies over 20 billion Iraqi dinars ($13.7 million).
