Kurdistan Region Government’s Health Minister, Saman Barzinji, announced good news for volunteer health workers in the sector, noting that more than 10,000 volunteers are currently working in hospitals across the region.

He added that efforts are underway to have these workers officially recognized through coordination with Baghdad.

Speaking on Target program on Channel8, Minister Barzinji stressed that many essential health services are only available in the public sector, not private hospitals. These include burn treatments, emergency trauma care, dialysis, and chemical treatments.

He highlighted the capacity of public hospitals, stating, “Around 75% of surgeries in the Kurdistan Region are performed in public hospitals, where services are provided at a high standard.”

On cancer treatment, he emphasized:

“Treatment for cancer patients in Kurdistan is at a very good level, and the majority of services are offered free of charge.”

He clarified that most cancer surgeries and treatments are carried out in public hospitals rather than private ones.

Regarding volunteer health workers, Barzinji explained that since 2015–2016, over 10,000 staff and volunteers have worked in Kurdistan’s hospitals. He assured that whenever opportunities for recruitment arise, prior experience will be considered for these volunteers.

He further stated, “We are working with Baghdad to officially register volunteers and provide them with job grades and positions within Iraq’s budget, similar to the allocations made for students.”