SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The medical crisis in Sulaimani reached a critical level that threats the life of citizens as the city continues to suffer from a year-long medical supplies shortage in public hospitals, the General Health Directorate warned of the deterioration of the situation on Monday.
Deputy Director of Sulaimani Health Hersh Salim in a statement told Esta Media Network, “It’s been a long while that Sulaimani suffers from lack of medicine and medical supplies, the crisis not only has not been solved rather it grows more.”
Salim voiced hopelessness and said, “We have no hope that the crisis will be solved.”
“The patients are purchasing their supplies in the public hospitals in their own pocket because of the shortage crises,” He said.
“Part of the hospitals are trapped in deep crises, in the meantime, in addition to this, the cleaning and service companies did not receive any payments in the past six months,” Salim warned and expected that they will halt their services as well if the situation continues.
The deputy of Health director accused the Kurdistan Region Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Finance of the situation.
“Ask the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Finance why they have no commitments to resolve the issue,” the deputy said.
“It’s pretty clear that Sulaimani is under a siege, and we have no hopes that they will resolve the issue,” the deputy added.
The Medicine crisis and medical supplies shortage in Suliamani public hospitals has emerged since last year.
The Kurdistan Region Ministry of Health has repeatedly pledged to resolve the issue but so far the crisis continues and keeps growing, engulfing all public hospitals in the city.
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) failure to provide the finical entitlements of the pharma companies forced them to halt their services and no longer supply the city with further medical needs.
Representatives of the pharmaceutical companies protested in Sulaimani this year against the government’s failure to repay their debt, saying they would not provide any drugs to the provinces of Sulaimani and Halabja.
The Kurdistan Regional Government owes the companies over 20 billion Iraqi dinars, according to the pharma companies.
“If the issue isn’t resolved, part of the hospitals in Sulaimani would become like hotels and patients would only get benefit from them for staying due to shortages of medicine and medical equipment,” Salim told Esta earlier.
