Iraq’s Minister of Health, Saleh Al-Hasnawi, has officially announced the launch of the Digital Center for Health Insurance Services and the rollout of the Dhamani platform, a major initiative aimed at digitizing the nation’s healthcare sector in accordance with the country’s Health Insurance Law.
A Digital Leap for Public Health
Minister Al-Hasnawi described the initiative as the critical first phase in Iraq’s comprehensive strategy to achieve full healthcare automation. The move is designed to significantly enhance efficiency, promote transparency, and ensure continuity of care throughout the public health system, marking a pivotal transition for the country.
Unifying Healthcare with Smart Technology
The Dhamani platform provides a centralized online portal where registered citizens can sign up for health insurance, manage their personal data, and access medical services. A key component of the system is a smart magnetic card that will be issued to beneficiaries.
This card functions as a complete electronic medical record, securely storing a patient’s entire medical history, including past diagnoses, prescribed medications, and laboratory results, making critical information readily available to healthcare providers.
Phased National Rollout
According to Ali Ahmed Ubaid, Director General of the Health Insurance Fund, the plan for 2026 is ambitious, targeting coverage for three million citizens.
The implementation will begin in Baghdad, with an initial goal of enrolling one million residents. The program will subsequently expand to cover an additional two million people across nine other provinces, with distribution based on population density.
A Milestone for the Medical Community
Hassanein Shabar, Head of the Iraqi Doctors Syndicate, hailed the launch of the Dhamani platform as a historic milestone for the nation’s healthcare system. He emphasized that it introduces a much-needed unified digital framework for managing every aspect of health insurance, from patient registration and treatment to financial administration.
About Dhamani
Dhamani is a national digital health insurance platform launched by Iraq’s Ministry of Health. It is designed to streamline healthcare services by providing citizens with a centralized online portal and a smart card that holds their complete electronic medical record. The initiative represents a core part of Iraq’s strategy to digitize its public health system under the national Health Insurance Law.
Source: MEA Tech Watch
