At a Glance

• The KRG Ministry of Health permanently closed a private hospital in Erbil.
• Hospital management and staff face criminal prosecution following the death of a 21-year-old patient.
• Medical staff bypassed a prior suspension order to perform illegal surgery without an ICU.

The Ministry of Health has shut down an Erbil hospital and referred its staff to court for criminal prosecution following the death of a 21-year-old patient during an illegal surgery performed by unlicensed doctors.

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Key Statement and Focus Area

• The Ministry of Health requested the Erbil Investigation Court to open a criminal file, citing "violations and negligence" that directly resulted in the loss of patient life.
• “The operating surgeon, the chief doctor, and the hospital administration entered through other unofficial doors and in an illegal manner to conduct work,” an official ministerial statement noted.

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The Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday that a specialized inspection and follow-up committee was immediately dispatched to the private Al Rasul New Hospital in Erbil to launch a field investigation following the tragic passing of female patient Sara Tahsin Yasin yesterday.

The subsequent investigation by the Directorate of Inspection and Follow-up's Equipment Department uncovered a series of severe regulatory breaches, including the discovery that both the operating surgeon and the supervisor lacked valid work permits for the facility. 

Furthermore, the doctors involved were completely absent from the Ministry's approved staff registry for that specific institution.

The ministerial document emphasized that the hospital performed a high-risk emergency surgery despite failing to possess critical emergency services or a functioning Intensive Care Unit (ICU) room.

The facility's operating rooms had already been officially shuttered and suspended by the Ministry on June 8, 2026, under Ministerial Order No. 10822 due to a total lack of patient safety standards. 

Rather than complying, staff illegally breached the closed facility through back doors to operate clandestinely.

Following the field report, Health Minister Dr. Saman Hussein Barzinji ordered the complete closure of the establishment and directed that the entire hospital administration, the operating surgeons, chief doctors, assistants, and all participating employees be transferred to the judiciary to face full legal accountability.

FYI

The defendants face criminal prosecution under the amended Iraqi Penal Code No. 111 of 1969, alongside Law No. 4 of 2020 concerning Patient Rights and Duties, and Regulation No. 16 of 2023.

The swift referral follows a high-profile field crackdown by the Ministry of Health's specialized tracking teams aimed at enforcing safety protocols and eradicating unlicensed practices across private medical facilities.

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