Page 78 - GHES-3-3

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability
Pharmaceutical system in Iraq

(vi) Pharmacy curricula and training must be updated to Author contributions
reflect modern market needs in both academia and
practice. This will better equip graduates with a holistic Conceptualization: Ahmed W. Al-Humadi
Writing – original draft: Ahmed W. Al-Humadi
understanding of healthcare. Educational initiatives Writing – review & editing: All authors
should not only focus on improving the quality of
graduates but also on expanding access to training Ethics approval and consent to participate
and certification opportunities. These would support
a more competent workforce in pharmaceutical Ethics approval was not required for this narrative review.
settings, ultimately leading to better health outcomes Consent for publication
and increased trust in the healthcare system. In
addition, leadership at educational institutions should Not applicable.
be appointed based on merit to ensure consistent Availability of data
quality and credibility in training and accreditation
(Al-Mosawi, 2020). The data that support the findings of this study are available
from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
7. Limitations of the study
This review lacks reliable quantitative and qualitative Further disclosure
data, making it more exploratory in nature and thereby An earlier version of this manuscript was
limiting its generalizability. Furthermore, the synthesis published through a preprint server, doi: 10.20944/
does not include a specific analysis of the pharmaceutical preprints202411.1159.v1 https://www.preprints.org/
sector in Kurdistan province, which has held autonomy manuscript/202411.1159/v1
over healthcare since 1993. However, the region generally References
shares similar structures, regulations, supply chains, and
distribution models with the rest of Iraq. Ahmed, K.K., Al-Jumaili, A.A., Mutlak, S.H., & Hadi, M.K.
(2020). Determinants of national drug products acceptance
8. Conclusion across patients, pharmacists, and manufacturers: A mixed
method study. Journal of Generic Medicines: The Business
Despite some advances, the reformation of the Journal for the Generic Medicines Sector, 17(3):139-53.
pharmaceutical sector in Iraq is essential to improve https://doi.org/10.1177/1741134320926625
healthcare system functionality and keep up with the
current challenges and global advances. Enhancement Al Hasnawi, S.M., Al khuzaie, A., & Al Mosawi, A.J. (2009). Iraq
of the pharmaceutical sector will improve health indices health care system: An overview. The New Iraqi Journal of
Medicine, 5(3):5-13.
and equity, facilitate better medicinal procurement and
management, and enable the health system to adapt and Al Hilfi, T.K., Lafta, R., & Burnham, G. (2013). Health services in
evolve in line with Iraq’s status as a young, upper-middle- Iraq. The Lancet, 381(9870):939-948.
income country. Therefore, the recommendations outlined https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(13)60320-7
should be urgently considered by policymakers (Figure 5). Al Lami, A.H.M., Zartab, S., Jaberidoost, M.,
While the need for healthcare reform in Iraq remains Yektadoost, A., Nikfar, S.H., & Kebriaeezadeh, A. (2017).
an urgent priority, the value of quality qualitative and Iranian pharmaceutical industry opportunities in Iraq.
quantitative research to inform specific determinants and Journal of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical
solutions in the Iraqi pharmaceutical sector must not be Management, 3(3-4):35-40.
overlooked. Al-Ghazal, S.K. (2003). The valuable contributions of Al-Razi
(Rhazes) in the history of pharmacy during the middle ages.
Acknowledgments International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine,
2(4):9-11.
None.
Al-Hiti, M. (2019). Iraqi Pharmaceutical Industry Obstacles
Funding and Solutions. Athens, Greece: 4 Iraqi-European
th
Business and Investment Forum. Available from:
None. https://www.arabhellenicchamber.gr/ wp-content/
uploads/2019/07/6.-dr.mustafa-al-hiti.pdf [Last accessed on
Conflict of interest 2024 Sep 01].
The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Al-Humadi, A., & Liapi, C. (2019). Challenges of Iraq

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 70 https://doi.org/10.36922/GHES025110025