KRG appoints 775 medical graduates after months of protests

ERBIL — The Kurdistan Regional Government said Monday it has appointed 775 medical graduates from the class of 2023–2024, ending months of demonstrations by doctors left without placements.

In a statement, the KRG said Prime Minister Masrour Barzani signed the order on Sept. 1 to appoint graduates from medical colleges in Sulaymaniyah, Erbil, Duhok, Zakho, Koya, Garmian and Kurdistan University. The appointments will be made “according to the framework of the KRG Ministry of Health, with appropriate titles, salaries and benefits, and will be covered by the Kurdistan Region’s internal revenues.”

The order cited “the urgent need of the Kurdistan Region’s health institutions for resident doctors” as the basis for the decision.

Graduates had staged repeated protests in Duhok, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah since February, demanding the government finalize their postings. “We studied and trained to serve as doctors, but so far, our appointments have been completely ignored,” one protester said at the time. In May, residents in Duhok warned that delays in new hires were creating a backlog that prevented senior doctors from advancing.

Under the Kurdistan Region’s system, new doctors are appointed after graduation to two years of hospital rotations and one year of rural service before pursuing specializations. That cycle was disrupted after budget disputes with Baghdad froze new hires in July 2024, leaving graduates without clear futures and straining hospitals.

With Monday’s announcement, graduates are set to begin posts under the KRG payroll. Health officials had previously said the region would proceed independently if Baghdad failed to release funds.

Despite the breakthrough, observers note that new graduates may still face the same structural challenges that strained their peers in recent years.