Three dermatology and cosmetics clinics shut by authorities in Ranya over health violations

RANYA — Health authorities in the Raparin Administration, Sulaymaniyah, announced Wednesday the temporary closure of three dermatology and cosmetic clinics in Ranya for violating health and legal regulations.

According to a statement from the Raparin Directorate of Health, the clinics were found using expired medical materials, conducting unauthorized laser procedures, and operating without required licenses.

The Dr. Srwa Fereydun Dermatology Clinic has been closed for five days after inspectors discovered expired materials, an absence of a supervising physician, and unauthorized laser treatments performed by clinic staff.

The Dr. Awat Hassan Dermatology Clinic and Sina Laser Center were also shut down for five days for similar violations, including operating without licensed physicians and conducting laser procedures on patients without proper authorization.

The incident is part of ongoing efforts to crack down on expired items in cosmetics clinics across the Kurdistan Region. On Jan. 7, security forces in Duhok seized four tons of expired women’s cosmetic products in two separate raids across different neighborhoods of the city.

Authorities in Zakho, Duhok governorate, confiscated and destroyed more than 600 tons of expired food and cosmetic products during inspections conducted in 2024.

Nationally, at the end of August 2024, the Iraqi Parliamentary Health and Environment Committee, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, launched a task force to tackle the spread of unlicensed cosmetic clinics across the country.

“There are a large number of illegal cosmetic clinics, many run by prominent and influential figures,” committee member Siham Al-Moussawi told the state-owned Al-Sabah newspaper. She said that the Ministry of Health was enforcing “strict measures” to close down clinics that lack proper licenses.