KIU bloc warns against financial impact of privatizing healthcare and education

Shafaq News/ On Monday, the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) bloc in the Kurdish Parliament criticized agreements with private companies in healthcare and education, stating they threaten the rights of low-income groups.

During a press conference in Al-Sulaymaniyah attended by Shafaq News, the Head of the KIU Bloc, Mustafa Abdullah, stated that "health and education services are the government's responsibility and should not be used as tools to increase the wealth of private companies."

He described the gradual privatization of the health and education sectors as a major injustice to citizens who are already suffering from delayed salaries and a lack of basic services like electricity.

In the same context, MP Ali Hama Saleh explained that the agreement spans ten years and grants the private company the right to supply hospitals with medical equipment in exchange for an annual payment of 10 billion dinars from state revenues, placing a significant financial burden on the healthcare sector.

Saleh had previously noted that the prices of some medical tools have increased by up to 100 times, adding that "continuing to implement the agreement will cost the Kurdistan Region more than 48 billion dinars annually in Al-Sulaymaniyah alone, with even greater losses in Erbil and Duhok."

Stressing that the government would not be able to bear these costs in the long term, he called for a review of government policies concerning the privatization of the health and education sectors.