Collaborative efforts between WHO and health authorities in Iraq empower healthcare professionals engaged in medical oxygen production to ensure a responsive healthcare system for all. Photo: WHO Iraq21 December 2023, Erbil, Iraq – “Oxygen is a life-saving essential medicine with no substitute,” said Dr Wael Hatahit, WHO Health Emergencies Team Lead, explaining the drive behind a recent 3-day workshop on medical oxygen scale-up.

“This profound view stems from the recognition that securing affordable and sustainable access to oxygen is paramount for health facilities, particularly in light of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added, underlining the event’s significance to Iraq’s health system.

WHO arranged the workshop in collaboration with the federal Ministry of Health and Ministry of Industry and Minerals (Baghdad) and the Ministry of Health in the Kurdistan region of Iraq (Erbil). The event was facilitated by experts from the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and WHO headquarters. Key ministry officials involved in medical oxygen gave presentations and shared valuable insights.

The main aim of the workshop was to deepen the collective understanding of the national oxygen ecosystem and promote the effective use of the Live Oxygen Platform in Iraq. The digital platform will serve as an online dashboard, capturing estimated oxygen needs and up-to-date information, and function as a networking tool for experts and partners.

Other workshop aims were to build national capacity for oxygen scale-up and strengthen the capacities of professionals engaged in oxygen management, rational use and logistics, and biomedical engineering support.

The workshop brought together 34 participants, including hospital managers, technicians and biomedical engineers from across Iraq, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Minerals and local medical oxygen-producing companies.

Ministry representatives expressed their appreciation to WHO and recognized the commitment and collaboration of all participants and partners in this important area. Progress achieved during the 3 days provides a solid foundation for ongoing efforts to save lives through better oxygen management in Iraq.

“I commend the efforts of the federal and regional ministries of health in Iraq and all workshop participants for the crucial role they play in advancing medical oxygen scale-up efforts, given their ownership of data and resources on the Live Oxygen Platform,” said Dr Hatahit.

For more information, please contact:

Ajyal Sultany
WHO Iraq Communications Officer
+9647740892878
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