Baghdad-INA
Health Minister Abdul-Hussein Al-Mousawi said on Tuesday that the Demographic Transition Programme has contributed to the establishment of 15 model health centers across Iraq’s provinces.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the conclusion of the Demographic Transition Programme in Iraq, attended by an Iraqi News Agency (INA) correspondent, Al-Mousawi said: “We meet today to express our pride in concluding five years of diligent work under the Demographic Transition Programme in Iraq, which represents a distinguished model of strategic international partnership between the Ministry of Health, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and the United Nations Population Fund, in coordination with the Kurdistan Region, to support and enhance the sustainability of the national health system.”
He added that “what we are celebrating today is not merely the conclusion of a project timeline, but rather the establishment of solid and sustainable structural foundations aimed at improving the quality of medical services provided to Iraqi citizens in primary healthcare, particularly in reproductive health and family planning. This partnership has succeeded in transforming plans and theories into tangible achievements on the ground.”
He explained that “among the most notable outcomes of the Demographic Transition Programme is the launch of an electronic system for managing logistics information for family planning services, the development of infrastructure through the establishment and operation of 15 integrated model centers of excellence across the provinces and the region, the continued provision of integrated services for vulnerable groups at Al-Amal Rehabilitation Centre in Nineveh, and the development of a phased transition plan for service ownership extending until 2027, as well as youth empowerment through the launch of a free, secure bilingual (Arabic and Kurdish) hotline providing psychological and advisory counseling for adolescents.”
Al-Mousawi expressed “deep gratitude to the United Kingdom for its continued support and to the United Nations Population Fund for its exceptional efforts,” also praising “all staff of the Ministry of Health for their dedication and commitment,” stressing “the Ministry’s commitment to preserving these national gains and further developing them in line with government programme priorities towards achieving sustainable development, health security, and well-being for all citizens.”
