Health Deputy Links High Medicine Prices to Quality Control Fees
At a Glance
- Private-sector financial interests drive medicine prices and undermine quality control.
- Unstickered medicines have increased significantly.
- Baghdad supplies a small percentage of the medicines needed by public hospitals.
- A lack of cash liquidity has stalled construction of Grand Hiwa Hospital in Slemani since 2023.
Kurdistan Region Health Deputy Minister Dr. Rahel Faraidoon has raised concerns over medicine prices, quality control, and hospital development. He said private-sector fees and shortages in federal medicine supplies are contributing to challenges in the Region’s healthcare sector.
Key Statements and Focus Area
- Medicine Prices: “High medicine prices are not linked to the political climate; rather, they are tied to the financial interests of the companies entrusted with managing quality control.” — Dr. Rahel Faraidoon.
- Unstickered Medicines: “Over the past two weeks, unstickered medicines have increased noticeably, with some being distributed completely untested.” — Dr. Rahel Faraidoon.
- Federal Supply: “Baghdad currently provides only 12% of the medicines required by public hospitals across the Kurdistan Region, leaving the Region to cover a significant portion of its pharmaceutical needs through other channels.” — Dr. Rahel Faraidoon.
Faraidoon said identical medicines can be cheaper in Baghdad because of the private-sector fees charged during quality control procedures in the Kurdistan Region.
About the circulation of unstickered medicines, he said some of these medicines are not necessarily smuggled but are being distributed without undergoing testing. He called for the establishment of a quality control office in Slemani to reduce the monopoly created by importing medicines through a single location.
He also addressed stalled healthcare projects, saying a shortage of cash liquidity in Slemani banks has halted hospital construction since 2023.
Faraidoon pointed to disparities in healthcare development between the Region’s governorates, noting that a major cancer hospital is being constructed in Erbil while construction of Hiwa Hospital in Slemani remains stalled due to a lack of funding.
Meanwhile, three medical centers have been placed under investigation by the Directorate of Quality and Inspection. The Ministry of Health is also increasing oversight of medical advertising on social media platforms as part of efforts to regulate health-related promotions.
FYI
Medicine quality control and the supply of pharmaceuticals remain important issues for the Kurdistan Region’s public healthcare system. The Region also continues to face funding and liquidity challenges affecting major healthcare infrastructure projects.
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