Care and surgery
Training and skills transfer
Building and equipping hospitals
Prevention and screening
Emergencies and humanitarian crises
Maternal health
Iraq: a hospital for the people of Sinjar
Nine years after the massacre perpetrated by Daesh troops in Sinjar, the majority of the Yezidi community is still living in displacement camps.
In this town in north-eastern Iraq, the hospital and health centers were destroyed. To encourage people to return, and to offer quality care to those returning to their homeland, La Chaîne de l’Espoir has been building a hospital, the Centre Médical Français de Sinjar, since 2020.
The project is supported by the Iraqi Ministry of Health, the French government’s Crisis and Support Center and the Madad European Fund.
Opening in 2024
The shell is now complete. Inside the building, the partitions are being finalized, and the technical work packages continue, defining the future two operating theatres, consulting rooms and 27 hospital beds. The medical equipment will be installed in early 2024. Outside, a road will soon link the hospital to existing roads. In a few months’ time, the Iraqi Ministry of Health will take possession of the premises to receive the first patients: the opening is scheduled for 2024.
2 questions to
Ghassan Raoof Riyadh, infrastructure engineer in Sinjar for La Chaîne de l’Espoir
What challenges are you facing in building this hospital?
In addition to the usual challenges encountered when building such a facility, we have to deal with security and logistical issues. The region is very isolated: you have to pass 11 checkpoints to access Sinjar, and incidents still occur every month. We also have to overcome logistical and supply difficulties in terms of medical materials and equipment.
How will this hospital project benefit the local population?
The project itself benefits the region and local populations: construction is being carried out by Iraqi companies and workers, particularly from Sinjar. The hospital has also been designed to be an establishment of excellence, offering care to European standards, in line with the requirements of the ISO9001 quality management plan.
