Osman’s daughter is infected with bowel inflammation. After being disappointed in the public hospitals, he took her to a private clinic to receive treatments which cost him more than 200 thousand Iraqi Dinars IQD ($167).
That is not an affordable expense to him and many people of Mosul because his monthly income is double of that cost.
“My daughter, Auliya, 23, had a significant inflammation and we went to a public hospital and her health did not recover because services offered there are very bad,” Osman Abdul Sami, 51, said.
He paid 20 thousand to meet the doctor and says that the doctor only asked simple questions.
“I was shocked because he only asked my daughter to inform him where in her body she had the pain and later sent her to have medical tests,” he said.
The disgnosis the doctor required cost 130 thousand ($108) and later paid 66 thousand for medications.
He siad, “on that day, I spent 216 thousand on visiting the doctor, having the tests, and buying the medicines.”
KirkukNow reporter visited numerous private clinics and listened to several patients who had concerns with high price of doctor appointments, diagnosis, and drugs.
“Health care has become a business in Mosul… it is now only to receive money from patients without considering their difficult financial situation,” Marwan Abdul Azim said.
It is now only to receive money from patients without considering their difficult financial situation
A doctor visit costs 20 thousand to 50 thousand and the cost depends on the popularity and the expertise of the doctors.
Azim explained that people of Mosul can neither afford private clinics' expenses nor do they receive proper health care at the public hospitals.
ISIS war in the city devasted health infrastructure of Mosul, especially in its west bank where a medical community existed.
Ibin Sina, a 525-bed hospital and a main hospital in city, suffered a severe damage in the battle.
“15 thousand is charged for a urine test, 25 thousand is charged for a blood test, an x ray costs 15 thousand and an ultrasound scan test costs 20 thousand,” Dabakh Bakr, owner of a medical laboratory, said.
He referred the prices to “the expensive materials used in the tests,” and stated that “people have thought that the medical laboratories do not lose, but it is not correct. The materials cost a lot and the health authorities do not help.”
People have thought that the medical laboratories do not lose, but it is not correct
Nineveh branch of Iraqi Doctor Syndicate did not speak to KirkukNow because “they are not allowed to do so.”
Sama Ubaid, a doctor, claims that the doctors have become traders of life of people and held the Doctor Syndicate, central government and local government accountable.
“There is no law that would oblige the doctors to regulate and specify prices of appointments, medical laboratory tests and the pharmacies. The authorities should pass a law that would regulate the prices and seriously punish those who do not obey it,” she said.
The authorities should pass a law that would regulate the prices and seriously punish those who do not obey it
“the doctors do not stop with the high prices, they also write the prescriptions in a way that only their pharmacies can read, it approved that there are agreements between them,” Hayas Salam, 37, stated.
He claims that the private clinics have taken advantages of the inappropriate public health sector.
Nineveh province had 16 hospitals which collectively provided 4600 beds for patients, but, due to the war of ISIS, the hospitals offer 1700 beds for a population of three million and 700 thousand according to health directorate of Nineveh.
Karim Wasfi, a doctor, mentioned that increasing prices of doctor appointments and medications are due to lack of observations.
He mentioned that Nineveh’s health sector is devastated and people from other areas come to Mosul to receive medical treatments which has further exhausted the sector.
