Baghdad, 9 May 2016 – A workshop was conducted by WHO in Amman, Jordan, in order to explore ways to strengthen the accreditation of medical education in Iraq. It was attended by senior officials from both Ministries of Higher Education and Health, who actively shaped the discussions and outcomes. The main aims of the workshop were to:
- review the standards of accrediting medical education in Iraq;
- propose an institutional arrangement for the accreditation of medical education; and
- develop a roadmap for implementing the agreed actions over the next 12 months, with specific actions and timelines.
The workshop resulted in the development of a roadmap to strengthen institutional capacities and operational systems to implement accreditation of medical education.
The health workforce is central to the health system in any country. Health care workers make diagnostic and treatment decisions at the point of service delivery and their actions determine quality of care provided and ultimately how efficiently resources are used to health care services. The cost of the health workforce in most countries is on average represents 30–60% of total health care expenditure.
WHO is committed to providing continued technical support and leadership to the Iraqi National Council for accreditation of medical education and health care services. WHO will ensure learning and best practices from regional and global experiences to advance the quality of medical education and medical health care service will be directly benefit to health outcome.
The workshop was opened by Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean. Dr Alwan expressed the commitment of WHO to provide all possible support to advance the accreditation system that aims to improve the quality of medical education. He noted that the Region faced major shortages in the overall health workforce. Much of this was due to insufficient strategic investment in education and employment, inadequate performance management and high mobility of health workers. While countries were trying to address shortages, concerns about the quality of services provided by health professionals were increasing.
Participants included 12 deans of Iraq medical colleges, deputy deans and senior executives of quality assurance programmes; senior officials from Ministries of Health and Higher Education; professional associations, quality assurance programmes of the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Higher Education.
Related link
Summary report on the workshop on accreditation of medical education in Iraq: towards excellence in medical education and health care, Amman, Jordan, 31 March–1 April 2016
For more information, please contact:
Ms Rosane Lopes
Communications Officer
World Health Organization
Iraq Country Office
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+964 7809 288 614
Dr Atef El Maghraby
Technical Lead
Health Systems
World Health Organization
Iraq Country Office
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+964 780 928 8620
Ms Ajyal Sultany
Communications Officer
World Health Organization
Iraq Country Office
Mobile: +964 7510 101 469
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Baghdad, 9 May 2016 – A workshop was conducted by WHO in Amman, Jordan, in order to explore ways to strengthen the accreditation of medical education in Iraq. It was attended by senior officials from both Ministries of Higher Education and Health, who actively shaped the discussions and outcomes. The main aims of the workshop were to:
- review the standards of accrediting medical education in Iraq;
- propose an institutional arrangement for the accreditation of medical education; and
- develop a roadmap for implementing the agreed actions over the next 12 months, with specific actions and timelines.
The workshop resulted in the development of a roadmap to strengthen institutional capacities and operational systems to implement accreditation of medical education.
The health workforce is central to the health system in any country. Health care workers make diagnostic and treatment decisions at the point of service delivery and their actions determine quality of care provided and ultimately how efficiently resources are used to health care services. The cost of the health workforce in most countries is on average represents 30–60% of total health care expenditure.
WHO is committed to providing continued technical support and leadership to the Iraqi National Council for accreditation of medical education and health care services. WHO will ensure learning and best practices from regional and global experiences to advance the quality of medical education and medical health care service will be directly benefit to health outcome.
The workshop was opened by Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean. Dr Alwan expressed the commitment of WHO to provide all possible support to advance the accreditation system that aims to improve the quality of medical education. He noted that the Region faced major shortages in the overall health workforce. Much of this was due to insufficient strategic investment in education and employment, inadequate performance management and high mobility of health workers. While countries were trying to address shortages, concerns about the quality of services provided by health professionals were increasing.
Participants included 12 deans of Iraq medical colleges, deputy deans and senior executives of quality assurance programmes; senior officials from Ministries of Health and Higher Education; professional associations, quality assurance programmes of the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Higher Education.
Related link
Summary report on the workshop on accreditation of medical education in Iraq: towards excellence in medical education and health care, Amman, Jordan, 31 March–1 April 2016
For more information, please contact:
Ms Rosane Lopes
Communications Officer
World Health Organization
Iraq Country Office
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+964 7809 288 614
Dr Atef El Maghraby
Technical Lead
Health Systems
World Health Organization
Iraq Country Office
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+964 780 928 8620
Ms Ajyal Sultany
Communications Officer
World Health Organization
Iraq Country Office
Mobile: +964 7510 101 469
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
