ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Some 30,000 patients have sought medical assistance at the cancer hospital in the Kurdistan Region’s northern Duhok province since it opened in May 2025, its administration said on Wednesday, underscoring the need for additional medical staff, equipment, and logistical support.
Chakdar Ahmad, director of the Omed Oncology Hospital, detailed that “while not all of the 30,000 cases were diagnosed as having cancer, most of the patients visited the hospital for diagnosis and prevention” and “more than 8 billion Iraqi dinars [over $6 million] worth of services have been provided.”
Speaking during a press conference, Ahmad added that the hospital “needs more staff, including doctors and nurses, as well as new equipment and vehicles,” noting that since its inauguration in 2025, the facility “has been operating with the same medical staff and doctors, who previously worked at Azadi Teaching Hospital” - Duhok’s main cancer treatment that was opened in 2007.
Afrasiab Musa, Director General of Health in Duhok, said in the same press briefing that “there is currently no radiotherapy center in Duhok for cancer patients, but a project is underway to build one.”
He added that previously, “only 40 to 45 beds were available for chemotherapy treatment, but work is now underway to open two early cancer screening centers. The Omed Hospital, which has a capacity of 160 beds, has been opened and is serving all patients.”
According to Rudaw’s monitoring, the number of newly recorded cancer cases in the Kurdistan Region increased by 62 percent between 2020 and 2025, rising from 6,293 to 10,245 cases.
Among the most common types of cancer in the region, breast cancer ranks first.
Statistics from 2025 show that Erbil accounts for the largest share of cancer patients, with 55 percent of recorded cases, followed by the Region’s eastern province of Sulaimani with 33 percent and Halabja with 12 percent.
Duhok accounts for the remaining share.
