Health minister: Iraq to add 12,000 hospital beds within three years

BAGHDAD — Health Minister Saleh Mahdi Al-Hasnawi said Monday that Iraq’s healthcare capacity will expand significantly with the addition of 12,000 hospital beds over the next three years.

Al-Hasnawi told Al-Iraqiya News Agency that the expansion is part of projects funded through the federal budget and the Iraq–China framework agreement. “We expect 12,000 hospital beds to enter service over the next three years,” he said, adding that all ministry projects are progressing “without the need for loans and grants” and that disputes previously delaying hospital construction have been resolved.

He also noted advances in healthcare administration, saying “management of Al-Hakim Hospital in Maysan has, for the first time in Iraq, shifted to an electronic administration system.”

Al-Hasnawi said the ministry has “contracted for advanced international medical equipment” and expects new devices to arrive within two months, part of broader efforts to modernize Iraq’s medical infrastructure and improve patient services nationwide.