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Laying the 1st stone of the future French Medical Center in Sinjar, Iraq
Following the inauguration in February 2020 of a new operating theatre at the dispensary in Sinjar, a town in north-west Iraq and the historic home of the Yezidi community, the foundation stone for the future Sinjar French Medical Centre (SFMC) was laid on November 24, 2020. A further symbolic step in the drive to strengthen the region's healthcare structures.
In partnership with Nadia’s Initiave Foundation, created by 2018 Nobel Peace Prize co-winner Nadia Murad, and with the support of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs’ Centre de Crise et de Soutien (CDCS), La Chaîne de l’Espoir recently laid the foundation stone for the Sinjar French Medical Centre. Construction of the Sinjar French Medical Centre will begin in July, once the preliminary studies have been finalized and approved by the Iraqi government.
A ceremony in the presence of Dr. Éric Cheysson
The ceremony took place on the site of the future hospital, in the presence of Dr. Éric Cheysson, Mr. Éric Chevalier, Director of the CDCS, Mr. Bruno Aubert, French Ambassador to Iraq, the representative of Nadia’s Initiative Foundation, which helps survivors of sexual violence in particular, and officials from the Iraqi Ministry of Health and its regional directorate.
With the SFMC’s design and construction phase set to take several months, it was first decided to reinforce the last remaining health center in Sinjar, which was acting as a temporary hospital, so that care could be provided before the SFMC opened.
La Chaîne de l’Espoir therefore proceeded to refurbish a surgical technical platform, entirely financed by the CDCS. Inaugurated on February 4, 2020, this technical platform hosted the first operations in November 2020. Since then, La Chaîne de l’Espoir has continued its work in this structure, developing a training program for medical, paramedical and technical staff to launch surgical activities.
Work on the French Medical Center in Sinjar will start in July 2021
Thanks to its expertise in medical engineering, La Chaîne de l’Espoir was asked to carry out this new construction. True to its values and driven by a desire to help the most disadvantaged, the association decided to respond favorably to this call. To bring the project to fruition, it enlisted the help of French experts and a strong technical team based in Erbil.
Construction work on the FMCS will start in July 2021 and is expected to take 2 years. Prior to this, preparatory work is underway on the site to prepare and adapt the site.
Largely built by Iraqi companies, the new hospital will have a total capacity of 27 beds and 31 places. The hospital structure will include
- A Women, Mothers and Children unit to provide care in pediatrics, gynecology and obstetrics.
- Outpatient consultation and examination rooms, including prenatal care.
- Medical and surgical services for hospitalized patients.
- A maternity unit with delivery rooms.
To develop this project, La Chaîne de l’Espoir is working closely with the Iraqi authorities, namely the Ministry of Health and the Nineveh Regional Health Directorate. Initially, all the preliminary studies required for the construction of the SFMC were discussed and validated with the local authorities. Once completed, the SFMC will be handed over on a turnkey basis to Iraqi institutions, whose role will be to launch the facility’s medical activities.
The beneficiaries of this project will be the women, children and men who live in Sinjar and the surrounding area, i.e. 171,000 people, including 72,000 IDPs who have recently returned to the region.
Finally, the Sinjar French Medical Centre is the first stage in a more ambitious project: the construction of the Sinjar General Hospital, with the addition of complementary services such as emergency, psychiatry and diabetes. Through these various initiatives, La Chaîne de l’Espoir and its partners aim to establish and perpetuate a quality healthcare offer for all, regardless of patients’ economic status or community affiliation.
