Iraq Seeks 200,000 Jobs for Medical Graduates
At a Glance
- 200,000 positions requested
- Four graduating classes covered
- Request submitted for 2027 budget
- Protests preceded the move
Iraq’s Ministry of Health has begun formal efforts to secure public-sector positions for hundreds of thousands of medical and healthcare graduates through the country’s upcoming 2027 federal budget.
Key Statements and Focus Area
- Ministry request: The Health Ministry has formally asked the Finance Ministry to allocate 200,000 positions.
- Eligible graduates: The proposal covers graduates from 2022 through 2025 under the Medical Graduation Law.
- Budget pressure: Fiscal constraints remain a major obstacle to expanding public-sector employment.
The Iraqi Ministry of Health has formally contacted the Ministry of Finance seeking allocations for 200,000 public-sector positions in the 2027 federal budget.
Information obtained by Channel8 indicates that the proposal is intended to address the employment backlog involving four consecutive cohorts of medical and healthcare graduates.
The ministry has sent official correspondence to the Finance Ministry requesting the funding required to create the positions.
The proposed employment plan covers medical and healthcare graduates from the 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 graduating classes.
The initiative falls under the Medical Graduation Law, which provides a legal framework for the employment of eligible medical graduates in the public sector.
Health authorities say securing these positions would also help address staffing requirements in public hospitals.
The move follows large demonstrations by medical graduates in Baghdad, including protests outside the Ministry of Health and in Tahrir Square.
Security forces used force to disperse the demonstrators, with several graduates reportedly injured during the clashes.
The protests centered on demands for government employment and the implementation of legal provisions governing the appointment of medical graduates.
The proposed recruitment comes as Iraq faces significant fiscal pressure, with a large share of state revenues already committed to public-sector salaries.
The government's approach to the 2027 budget is expected to emphasize reducing public expenditure and limiting new government appointments, with health and education identified among the sectors expected to receive priority.
The Finance Ministry's fiscal constraints could therefore affect the implementation and timing of the proposed appointments.
FYI
Iraq's public sector remains the country's largest source of formal employment, while the annual appointment of medical graduates has become increasingly difficult amid rising graduate numbers and budget pressures.
The Health Ministry's latest request seeks to address the accumulated employment needs of four graduating classes through the 2027 budget, while the final number of positions will depend on the budget process and available financial allocations.
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