HISTORY & BACKGROUND

The College was established in 1992 together with the University in Dohuk City in Kurdistan, by a decree from the Parliament of Kurdistan Region/ Iraq. The City of Dohuk is the center of Dohuk Governorate, with a population of some 800,000.

In October 1991, the central Iraqi government had withdrawn from Kurdistan as a political response after the end of the Gulf war 1991. As a result Kurdistan held its first ever-free election, and the Kurdish people were able to elect its representatives and hence a first Kurdish Government and Parliament were established in Kurdistan. 

The newly established Kurdish local Government and Parliament left with a huge task to run the country reestablish and develop the infrastructure and the Kurdish society, which has suffered for decades of deliberate oppression policies against the people of Kurdistan by the Iraqi central government. The Kurdish people were not even allowed to learn and teach in their own Kurdish language.

One of the most important issues facing the new Kurdish Government was to tackle the shortage in number of junior doctors. The idea of founding the College of Medicine was raised, suggested to our local authorities and the Kurdish Parliament and finally a decision was taken, and the University of Dohuk including the College of Medicine was established in 1992. This was the first step and we are very proud and happy with the results we have achieved to date.

Yes, we know that our College can not be compared with colleges whose ages are centuries rather than years, but even those, they had their own first step.

The University including the College of Medicine is a semi-governmental institution with a limited degree of autonomy. Education in Kurdistan is free including for undergraduate and postgraduate students attending universities.

The College of Medicine at the University of Duhok, at the moment, has the following clinical and basic Departments located at campus or based at Azadi General Hospital. in addition to these departments, the College encompasses the School of Nursing & Midwifery.  The College also is affiliated to a number of other Institutes and Centers both internal and external to the University and there are close links with other Universities and external Consultants worldwide also has links with WHO & UNESCO.

Clinical Department