Iraq Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in iraq, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Health Care, Medical Equipment & Supplies
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Overview

Many skilled health workers have moved to other countries, and young graduates continue to leave Iraq.  Despite much rebuilding, health infrastructure is not fully restored.  National development plans call for a realignment of the health system with primary care as the core of its services.  Yet the health care system continues to be centralized and focused on hospitals.  These development plans also call for the introduction of private health care as a major force in the health sector, but much needs to be done before policies to support this change are in place. 

Registration requirements for public and private sector sales vary.  Foreign companies selling medical or health-related goods are required to complete standard business registration requirements with the GOI as well as several additional steps, including:

1.    Registration of the foreign supplier at the Ministry of Health (MOH) Registration Board.
2.    For each consignment to the private sector, documents must be presented before an import license will be issued by the MOH.
3.    For sales under The State Company for Marketing Drugs and Medical Appliances (KIMADIA) tenders, a complete set of documents must be presented before an import license will be issued by the MOH.

To identify the current required list of documents referenced above, visit the KIMADIA website https://kimadia.iq/en/, scroll through the list of tenders and view any specific supplies tender. Within the tender document, a list of required documents will be provided.

Opportunities

There are two main players within the Iraqi health industry: the public sector, which covers roughly 75 percent of all health facilities, and the private sector, which represents the remaining 25 percent.

According to the constitution, the GOI is responsible for providing free health care through public clinics and hospitals to all the people of Iraq. KIMADIA, a government-owned company managed by MOH, is responsible for the importation and distribution of all pharmaceuticals, medical appliances, laboratory equipment, laboratory consumables, and medical equipment for all public health care facilities in Iraq.

KIMADIA operates under a tender procurement system, with tenders appearing almost daily at  https://kimadia.iq/en/ .  It is important that any Iraqi representative have a thorough understanding of the product line and actively pursue participation in MOH tenders released through KIMADIA.

Detailed information on MOH registration of foreign companies is provided online as well as later in this report.  While it is not necessary to have a local agent or representative to participate in the tenders, KIMADIA practices tend to favor companies with local representatives or who sell through a scientific office.

Local private companies also have the right to import and sell pharmaceuticals and medical appliances and equipment to the private clinics and privately-owned hospitals.  However, private purchases are largely on a clinic-by-clinic basis, without the aggregated demand of the public network.  If you wish to promote your products to private practitioners, ensure that your Iraqi representative has an extensive knowledge of the private healthcare sector.

Resources

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