04-08-2025
Italian Company creates New Hospital in Baghdad
By John Lee.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani has inaugurated the construction of the Italian Hospital in Baghdad, located on the former site of the "Turkish Restaurant" building, as part of the "Baghdad is More Beautiful" campaign to revitalise abandoned structures for public service.
The 103-bed facility will be equipped with modern medical technologies and operated under a joint management model. It includes an intensive care unit with 19 beds and seven private wings. The launch ceremony was attended by the Deputy Speaker of the Italian Senate, the EU representative, and senior Iraqi officials.
Al-Sudani praised the efforts of the Ministry of Health, Baghdad Municipality, and the National Investment Commission (NIC), and acknowledged the Italian firm GKSD - which runs 165 medical centres worldwide - as a key partner.
GKSD, which is owned by Gruppo San Donato, previously delivered successful models in Najaf and is expected to replicate them in Basra. A related company, Hospital Healthcare Holdings (HHH) is also involved in the project.
Key points from the Prime Minister's remarks:
The government is focused on completing stalled health projects and initiating new ones, including 16 hospitals with 100-bed capacity across the provinces.
Iraq has boosted local pharmaceutical production, increasing coverage to 40% from a previous 10%.
The administration is promoting joint hospital operation models with experienced international partners.
The goal is to end the costly trend of citizens seeking treatment abroad.
Encouragement of local production of medical supplies is a fiscal priority.
Investment laws and procedures are being streamlined to attract large healthcare investors.
The government is determined to cut bureaucracy and reduce project timelines.
The project reflects a broader push to strengthen Iraq's healthcare infrastructure, reduce capital outflow, and attract global expertise to the sector.
(Source: PMO)
