On December 14, 2021 Chatham House held an online panel entitled "Politically Sanctioned Corruption in Iraq’s Healthcare Sector," focusing specifically on graft in state medical procurements. The discussion opened up a broader policy-oriented conversation around the drivers, key mechanisms, and human costs of corruption in the healthcare sector. Deadly hospital fires earlier this year put Iraq’s healthcare system under a spotlight, revealing the human cost of the mismanagement of vital public services – and the systemic corruption embedded in the institutions that deliver them. But, the casualties of these tragedies are far from the only deaths caused by politically sanctioned corruption. Iraqis have for years been deprived of even the most basic standards of quality medicine and care. Political parties controlling the healthcare system compromise the safety and efficacy of both public and private hospitals by systematically evading quality controls and maximizing profits from the medical supply chain at all costs. This panel, co-hosted by Chatham House and IRIS, launched a new KAS report by Mac Skelton (IRIS), "Medicine under Fire: How Corruption Erodes Healthcare in Iraq." Skelton presented the paper followed by a discussion. Speakers included Mac Skelton (IRIS), Louisa Loveluck (Washington Post), Omar Sirri (Issam Fares Institute), moderated by Renad Mansour (Chatham House).
Access the full webinar here.
