The protest underscored growing frustration among young graduates who feel abandoned by the state, despite Iraq’s need for more healthcare workers.
More than 25 people were injured on Tuesday as Iraqi riot police used water cannons and batons to disperse a large-scale demonstration by three major health syndicates in Baghdad‘s Green Zone. The protesters were demanding employment for last year’s health graduates.
Thousands of demonstrators marched towards the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the parliament and key government ministries, to pressure the government into fulfilling its promises of providing jobs for qualified professionals who remain unemployed.
The protest underscored growing frustration among young graduates who feel abandoned by the state, despite Iraq’s need for more healthcare workers. The syndicates argue that the government’s failure to employ these graduates is exacerbating unemployment and weakening the healthcare system.
The Medical and Health Professions Syndicates, in a statement, reiterated their demand for the employment of all 2023 health graduates, claiming this had been agreed upon by the Iraqi prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and finance minister, pending financial allocations. The syndicates expressed frustration over the government’s inaction and warned of escalating protests if their demands were not met.
The injuries occurred as security forces attempted to break up the demonstration near Al-Shawaf Park, using hot water cannons and batons. The syndicates have called for an emergency parliamentary session to address their demands and approve the necessary financial allocations.
Some protesters blamed the lack of progress on poor planning by Iraq’s Planning Ministry. However, Abdul Zahra al-Hindawi, a spokesperson for the ministry, told The New Arab that these claims were unfounded and that the issue stemmed from Iraq’s Finance Ministry and the Federal Public Service Council that regulates the affairs of the federal public service, including appointment and promotion.
Hawjin Othman, head of the Sulaimaniyah branch of the Kurdistan Health Workers Syndicate, told TNA that the employment efforts have mainly targeted graduates from disputed areas between Iraq and the Kurdistan region, such as Kirkuk and Diyala, excluding thousands of healthcare graduates in areas under the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
“In recent years, nearly 800 graduates from Kirkuk and 400 from Diyala and Khanaqin who studied at KRG universities were employed by the Iraqi federal government,” Othman said. “However, in the Kurdistan region, there have been no new public health sector jobs since 2014.”
Othman noted that about 15,000 healthcare graduates are currently unemployed in the region, despite the KRG’s urgent need for them. The KRG has offered contracts to some graduates but has not committed to making them permanent employees.
With tensions still high, the demonstrators have vowed to continue their protests until their demands are met, marking a pivotal moment in Iraq‘s ongoing struggles with youth unemployment and economic instability.
