Cabinet discusses expediting delayed hospital projects, mechanisms for importing Covid-19 vaccines

The Cabinet held its weekly meeting on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.

At the start of the meeting the Prime Minister said that despite the attempts to obstruct the work of the government, it succeeded in preventing an economic meltdown, and has taken an important reform step exemplified by the White Paper for Economic Reform.

The Prime Minister said the reserves of the Central Bank of Iraq has increased by four billion US dollars, and that the government was able to tackle the corruption at the notorious foreign currency auction.

The Prime Minister directed all ministers not to repeat the mistakes of previous governments, and not to let bureaucratic practices impede the implementation of strategic decisions.

The Prime Minister directed the ministries of Health, Finance and Planning to work towards resolving the delay in completing hospital projects, some of which date back to 2009.

The Prime Minister also directed that contracts for the purchase of the Covid-19 vaccines must be between the Iraqi government and other governments and vaccine manufacturers directly, and not through intermediaries.

On foreign affairs, the Prime Minister told the Cabinet that Iraq has returned to playing an important role on the international stage and is enjoying the confidence of other nations because of its role in reducing tensions.

The Minister of Health presented a report the latest Covid-19 related developments, and the government efforts to contain the spread of the Coronavirus.

Source: Government of Iraq, 03 March, 2021