Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, 03 May 2023 – A new Intensive Care Unit for Respiratory Tract Infection Hospital in Sulaymaniyah was inaugurated today, strengthening health infrastructure in the region and providing access to life-saving and specialized respiratory care services for over 730,000 residents.

The newly constructed facility officially opened during an inauguration ceremony with Canadian Ambassador to Iraq, His Excellency Mr. Gregory Galligan, Kurdistan Regional Government Minister of Health, Dr. Saman Barzanjy, Sulaymaniyah Governor, Dr. Haval Abu Baker, and Sulaymaniyah Directorate General of Health, Dr. Sabah Haorami.

UNDP’s Funding Facility for Stabilization and the Government of Canada built the Intensive Care Unit for Respiratory Tract Infection Hospital and equipped it with advanced medical tools. The unit has 20 isolation rooms, each with a ventilator and humidifier, patient monitor, mechanical bed, and necessary medical devices and accessories. The hospital was also provided with a defibrillator, a video laryngoscope, an ECMO device, and generators.

“We are grateful to the Government of Canada for its commitment to supporting the people of Iraq. The construction of this specialized facility brings treatment closer to people needing immediate medical attention and also eases the burden on major hospitals in the region,” says UNDP Iraq Resident Representative Auke Lootsma.

“Canada is proud to support the establishment of this Intensive Care Unit in Sulaymaniyah that will bring life-saving healthcare services to the doorstep of its residents and surrounding communities. Our partnerships with the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Government of Iraq will not only improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare services but also boost the resilience of the healthcare system, enabling it to respond with agility to future crises and pandemics,” says Canadian Ambassador to Iraq, His Excellency Mr. Gregory Galligan. 

“The opening of this facility marks a significant milestone in the efforts to revitalize Sulaymaniyah’s health sector and improve its capacity to respond to public health emergencies such as pandemics,” says KRG Minister of Health, Dr. Saman Barzanjy.

“In recent years, respiratory tract infections have become one of the threats to Sulaymaniyah’s public health. Through this state-of-the-art intensive care unit and with our highly skilled and compassionate medical experts and health professionals, we will be able to provide the best possible care and treatment to patients with respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and COVID-19,” says Governor of Sulaymaniyah, Dr. Haval Abu Baker.

The construction of the Intensive Care Unit for Respiratory Tract Infection Hospital in Sulaymaniyah, which began in March 2022, took one year. Its design was developed by UNDP engineers in consultation with the Sulaymaniyah Health Directorate.

The Government of Canada has contributed US$ 39.844 million to UNDP’s Funding Facility for Stabilization, supporting 116 projects on infrastructure rehabilitation and livelihood creation and benefitting over 324,000 people. 

Media contact: 

Miriam Pineau, Communications Analyst | miriam.pineau@undp.org | +964 790 110 1982