Iraqi health minister suspends health guarantee contracts pending system overhaul

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Health Minister Abdulhussein al-Musawi has ordered the suspension of all health guarantee contract signings and renewals until the contract system approved by the Health Guarantee Institution is revised, according to a ministry statement released on Tuesday. The directive, issued in an official circular, instructs that contracts with medical institutions and clinics that have expired in the current period not be renewed, and that no new contracts be signed. The decision will remain in effect until the review and restructuring of the contract mechanisms is completed. The ministry said the procedures for updating the contract system will be carried out by the Health Guarantee Institution. No further details on the timeline or scope of the planned revisions were immediately available.