Operationalising the Medical Research and Care Centre (MRCC) of the University of Mosul

Supporting access to medical care for the entire population of Nineveh Governorate in Iraq

Context

The MRCC has been built with a view to becoming a cutting-edge care and research centre in Nineveh Governorate and nationwide. The facility was delivered shortly before Daesh entered Mosul in 2014, which suspended any possibility of development and operation. Following the liberation of the city in 2017, the University of Mosul resumed the project to open the centre, with even more urgent needs for the population of Nineveh.

The University of Mosul is the final recipient of the project, under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The Ministry of Health and Nineveh Health Department are involved in the project through their contribution to the management of the facility.

This joint construction and management of the centre enables a sustainable operation of the MRCC under State control, which can ensure its viability.

Specific objectives of the project

The first objective is to rehabilitate the building and equipment of the university’s Medical Research and Care Centre to allow for a rapid start of diagnosis and outpatient activities, as they are currently urgently needed in Mosul and the entire Governorate, while ensuring that international standards are applied.

This includes the development of laboratory, medical imaging, cardiology, neurophysiology, endoscopy and urology activities, as well as radiation therapy and chemotherapy in the medium term.

The second objective is to help the MRCC establish its governance and operations, both for medical care and for training and research.

This involves supporting the management of the Centre, helping to reduce gender inequalities among both practitioners and patients, preparing the phases of its future development, and developing technical and scientific cooperation, in particular for research with French medical institutions.

Operational strategy

The strategy for the project’s activities is based on two main components: the immediate commissioning of the Centre and support for its management and future development.

These two components include renovating the infrastructure with the repair and renewal of equipment, establishing procedures in line with international standards, as well as setting up the teams and a management and training plan. The objective is to develop the project for a centre of scientific and technical excellence in partnership with French institutions.

The activities also include helping to ensure that vulnerable people have priority access and reduce gender inequalities, by conducting a dedicated study to identify these inequalities and proposing ways of mitigating them as far as possible in the centre’s activities in the medium and long term.

This strategy aims to ensure that there is a rapid but phased launch of the MRCC’s operations, while keeping the risks for patients, staff and the environment under control.