Iraq to build psychiatric hospital in Basra following uproar over Al-Rashad facility

BASRA — Basra Governor Asaad Al-Eidani on Tuesday directed the establishment of a new psychiatric and neurological hospital with a capacity of 200 beds in the Shatt Al-Arab district, according to a statement from Basra Health Directorate.

The project has been submitted to the Ministry of Planning for official approval.

The move follows public criticism over conditions at Baghdad’s Al-Rashad psychiatric hospital and recent directives by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani to distribute psychiatric patients across other governorates.

The decision followed renewed attention after reports that “600 people who are sound of mind” are still living at the facility. In a Dec. 3 interview, Al-Rashad director Firas al-Kadhimi told 964media that the figure referred instead to patients whose health has improved but who cannot be discharged because they lack identification documents or family support.

The Iraqi News Agency reported that Al-Sudani ordered a committee to examine the cases of patients who have recovered but remain at al-Rashad. The review will focus on people who no longer require hospitalization yet remain institutionalized for administrative or social reasons.