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IRAQ'S CORRUPTION
العربية
Cases

COVID-ward fires at Ibn al-Khatib (Baghdad, April 2021) and al-Hussein (Nasiriyah, July 2021) hospitals: negligence and corruption

On 24 April 2021 a fire in the COVID-19 isolation unit of Baghdad's Ibn al-Khatib hospital killed 82 people; the PM's office dismissed the Baghdad Rusafa health director, the hospital director and its maintenance head, and Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi was suspended (he later resigned). On 12 July 2021 a fire in a newly built COVID ward at al-Hussein Teaching Hospital in Nasiriyah killed at least 60 (initial reports 92); 13 arrest warrants were reported and local health and civil-defence chiefs were suspended and detained. President Barham Salih blamed mismanagement and corruption. The Integrity Commission separately reported on stalled hospital projects whose repeated contract annexes inflated cost and delays.

Period
From April 2021 to July 2021
Sector
HealthHospital safety and procurement
Kind of case
Official statement or estimate
Jurisdiction
Federal Iraq

How the money moved, according to the sources

This account is the one given by the sources listed on this page. It is not the finding of a court.

Unsafe materials and oxygen handling, absent fire systems, poorly supervised construction contracts and chronic under-investment linked to corrupt procurement.

What happened

إعفاءات من المناصب وإيقاف عن العمل وأوامر قبض، ولم يُتح الاطلاع على أحكام المحاكم.

Open questions

  • Findings of the investigative committees and any convictions (from 2021 to 2026).
  • Contractors and cost of the Nasiriyah isolation ward.

People and companies

The table lists everyone this case names, with their legal status on the date shown. A status in this case does not carry over to any other case, and an accusation is not a conviction. How to read the status.
People and companies
NameRole in the caseLegal statusDetailAs of
Hassan al-Tamimi
حسن التميمي
Minister of HealthRemoved from officeSuspended after the Ibn al-Khatib fire (April 2021); resigned (reported).25 September 2026

Sources

These are the documents on which this case rests. Each quote is given in the language of the document.
  1. Independent Arabia27 April 2021Press reportTier D

    كارثة ابن الخطيب تعيد فتح ملف المستشفيات المتلكئة في بغداد

    ودعت "هيئة النزاهة الاتحادية" في تقرير لها بشأن تقصي الحقائق عن أسباب عدم إنجاز هذه المستشفيات
    وبيّن التقرير أن كثرة ملاحق العقود الموقّعة مع الشركات المنفّذة
    Original
  2. OCCRP30 April 2021Press reportTier D

    Iraqis Blame Deadly Fire on Negligence and Corruption

    Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi was suspended following widespread calls on social media for his dismissal
    Original
  3. English Wikipedia (citing BBC, NYT)25 September 2026Press reportTier D

    Nasiriyah hospital fire

    According to BBC, 13 arrest warrants had been issued out
    Original

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