Erbil, 29 September 2022 – The World Health Organization (WHO) in Iraq, in partnership with the Ministry of Health in the Kurdistan region, opened new WHO warehouses located within the Kurdistan Ministry of Health storage area in the Erbil governorate.

The inauguration marks the initial phase of a major transition from direct service provision to building resilience in the health sector and strengthening health systems, including the investment in the management of pharmaceuticals and biomedical technologies. Similar action is scheduled for all governorates in an endeavor to strengthen the health system in Iraq and enhance national capacities in the areas of procurement, storage, dispatch and overall management of pharmaceuticals and medical technologies across the country.

“I’m extremely pleased to oversee this significant shift in the area of medical technologies forecasting, procurement, storage and management. This represents a cornerstone in our drive toward health systems reform in Iraq,” said Dr Ahmed Zouiten WHO Representative in Iraq. “We are determined, alongside our counterparts in the Ministry of Health in the Kurdistan region and at federal levels to strengthen the medical technologies supply chain as an investment bringing us one step closer to achieving universal health coverage in Kurdistan and in all the governorates of Iraq,” Dr Zouiten added.