Iraqi parliament panel proposes central appointments for over 200,000 medical graduates

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A member of the Iraqi parliament's Health Committee said the number of medical and health professions graduates awaiting appointment by the Health Ministry has exceeded 200,000 since 2023, urging the government to act on the backlog. Lawmaker Miqdad al-Hafaci said the committee has prepared a proposal for the central appointment of those graduates, with the required funding to be secured through the general budget law. Under the proposal, appointments would be carried out in groups across departments and institutions affiliated with the Health Ministry. Hafaci pointed to Law No. 6 of 2000, which guarantees the appointment of medical and health professions graduates within the ministry, and said the issue should be resolved with regard to both the graduates' legal rights and their numbers. He noted that the list covers doctors, pharmacists, dentists, medical analysts and other specialists. The committee previously heard Health Minister Abdulhussein al-Musawi on this and other files. In Baghdad, medical graduates have held protests for months outside the Health Ministry and in the Green Zone demanding state appointments.