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International Journal Of Medical, Pharmacy And Drug Research(IJMPD)

Lack of a family medicine system in Kurdistan Region: Challenges and solutions

Hatice Bebiş , Zana Khalid Smail


International Journal of Medical, Pharmacy and Drug Research(IJMPD), Vol-4,Issue-4, July - August 2020, Pages 30-35 , 10.22161/ijmpd.4.4.2

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Background: Family medicine can play a significant role in monitoring, enhancing, and maintaining public health in the community. This field is still in its initial stage in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq; therefore, it is faced with several challenges. The present study was carried out in order to figure out the challenges and solutions to them in family medicine in Erbil, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Methods: The present descriptive qualitative study was carried out in Erbil from September to December 2019 on 16 individuals who worked in Kurdistan parliament, ministry of health, general directorate, health sector, and private and public hospitals. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were carried out in order to gather data on their lived experience. The collected data were analyzed through van Manen’s method, and relevant themes and subthemes were extracted. Results: Data analysis led to emergence of three main themes of “past status of family medicine”, “present status of family medicine”, and “future status of family medicine”. The first main theme had two subtheme, namely “lack of family medicine” and “primary health care centers”. The second main theme also had two subthemes, namely “the beginning stage” and “family medicine centers”. The third main theme also had two subthemes, namely “family medicine objectives” and “strategy planning measures”. Conclusion: Family medicine in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is still in its early stage; therefore, there are several challenges and issues which can be resolved as a result of cooperation between the Ministry of Health, universities of medicine in the region, and the parliament of Kurdistan.

family medicine, family health care, family medicine education, family doctors, family medicine centers.

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