Karim Wali, director of the health directorate in Kirkuk, left office due to retirement, his assistant will occupy the position temporarily.
The Iraqi Ministry of Health has issued a decree for Wali’s retirement and has decided to replace him with Zyad Khalaf Al Jabouri, who used to be Wali’s assistant.
The ministry attributes the decree only to the retirement age of health directors.
Wali said, “my retirement bill was announced three months ago, the health minister decided to extend my service for another three months.”
On April 5, Wali said after that three-month extension, his duty finished and farewelled his directorate
“Today is my last day; I will go home and leave the office for my assistant.”
Wali explained that Zyad Khalaf would be in office until a new director is selected, while numerous names have been proposed for the position.
KirkukNow has learned that four nominees have been proposed for the position, who are all from the Turkmen component of the city. Rakan Al Jabouri, acting governor of Kirkuk, has submitted the names of the nominees to the council of ministers since March 2020.
Wali, as a Turkmen nominee, took office when the Kurdish forces withdrew from the city on October 16, 2017, and the Iraqi Security Force took control of the city and the other disputed areas. It was when the relations between the regional and federal government deteriorated due to the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum.
Before such events, Sabah Amin, a Kurd, who belonged to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), was the director of the health directorate after his election by the provincial council in 2015.
Replacing the health director is at a time when the directorate with its entire staff is busy with preventing the spreading of the coronavirus in the city.
In Kirkuk, 18 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed. 10 have recovered, and one has died.
