What is the health care like in Erbil?

Hi FrancisColette,

Welcome to Expat.com!

I have created a new topic as from your post on the Iraq forum for better visibility.

Best of luck,
Christine

Hi Francis, welcome to Erbil, regarding health care, we have many private hospitals some are Turkish, Lebanon', Jordan and foreign hospitals and the rest Kurdish. And we have some government hospitals which is free cost.
Regarding the education, we have a good international schools in Erbil, the courses are in English language too but it is not free school, fell free if you have any question let me know.

Healthcare is poor here. Locals with money head to Turkey or other countries for anything serious. Doctors and dentists do not have as many years of training or as rigorous of an education as they do in most countries. Additionally equipment here may be old, medications may be fake, etc.

Do not agree to any elective treatments here. Only do what is absolutely necessary. Head out for serious health and dental work.

fully agree that the health system is terrible here I had a problem with my daughter and we could not find any hospital for her and also same thing happened with my wife so think twice especially if you have any child

Healthcare in Erbil is not of the same quality as in Western countries, especially for infants! This however should not hide the fact that more and more hospitals are opened who do provide better healthcare, but this ofcourse costs money.

What schools would you recommend for english speaking?

I could not recommend any international schools here. Many of them are for-profit which is not a good situation. All of them are full of local children. There is such a lack of English language fluency in the children attending "international" schools here that your child will fall far behind same aged peers in the home country so you must heavily supplement whatever they get here with home schooling following your own country's curriculum to make sure they get a good education.

Additional complications include government demands that all children take Kurdish from Kindergarten and Arabic starting in grade 4. This means your instructional time will be split among languages which is not ideal considering Kurdish is not a widely spoken language. So your child will have to right away learn 2 new languages. Remember that it takes a minimum of 2 years full time in a new language to develop conversational fluency. Academic fluency takes 5 or more year. So while your child is struggling to get the new languages, they are losing academic content because they can't understand.

Religion must also be taught in government schools and private schools. The local law says children can be taught their own religion as long as it is Islam or Christianity. The Christianity is the local kind which is Assyrian/Chaldean and appears to me like Roman Catholicism because it has rituals but since I can't speak the language I don't know about the actual beliefs. Christians here speak an entirely different language from Kurdish or Turkmen or Arabic so then that would be yet another language for your child to learn. At my school if someone says they don't have a religion that child is sent to Islam classes where they memorize lots of verses in Arabic from prayer books, etc.

Schools may tell you they have expat children but those are children born to Kurdish parents who fled the country to Canada, etc. and then the family came back to Kurdistan. In our home countries they would be classified as English Language Learner Children. So these children have foreign passports due to their birth but were socialized as locals because their families did not fully integrate into the countries where they immigrated. There are a few Turkish expat families here with children. They come mostly from the Eastern part of Turkey and are Turkish Kurds.

If you do decide to bring your kids please read the book 3rd Culture Kids so you will know how this experience may affect your children. In all my many years I have never met a child who grew up overseas who did not fit the pattern of the 3rd Culture Kid book, myself included.

I am an advocate of children living overseas because I did that as a child myself. However the minute living overseas compromises a child's chance for an outstanding comprehensive education I can't support that. You can never regain lost time for education.

Also know that medical care here is not good. There is no fire department or well equipped ambulance. Doctors are poorly trained. If you have any medical needs or conditions don't come here unless your doctor from home can manage it remotely. I have seen live cases of measles, chicken pox, etc. here too. Vaccinate before arrival.

Personally I would only consider bringing very young children like preschool age. Or I would fully homeschool my older children here to make sure they get the maximum educational benefit.

Hi,

I am considering moving to Erbil, and now I am worried about finding international school for my children..what about School of Choueofat and BISK school.do they offer good curriculum?

Good luck. Sounds like you have a very difficult decision to make. I personally would consider home schooling before relying upon any of the local "international schools". Those children are not English fluent so your child's academic level will fall as a result because the instruction offered will be taught to the midpoint of the instructional level of the entire class.

Thanks alot for responding...
Can you tell me about the traffic in erbil..is it easy to drive there?
Also is it common that ladies drive around?

I have been here for 4 years. In the beginning the traffic was nonexistent. Each year there are more and more cars added to the roads. That said the traffic at most delays me for less than 30 minutes. There is no car insurance here so in an accident situation you are totally responsible for paying cash for everything. I used to drive here when I first came but it seems to me cheaper to use a taxi than to pay for an accident. In the taxi situation the taxi driver will pay the bill because he is the one driving. Taxis are cheap and plentiful. Women find a few drivers they trust and go with those drivers. Used cars are very expensive here. New cars about the same price as the USA. Gas runs around $1 USD per liter. The weather conditions here are tough on cars and cars need batteries more frequently and changes of air filters due to high dust environment. You can rent a self drive car for around $50 USD per day. Parking at major malls is easy and free. Parking in bazaar areas is a nightmare, best to taxi to those.

I do see women driving here. There are a few driving rules that seem really different to me. Here people coming from a sidestreet onto a mainstreet have the right of way. Here people entering the traffic circle (roundabout) have the right of way. The basic rule is if you are already on the road you yield to everything coming onto the road where you are. Locals will also cut across 4 lanes of traffic to make a sudden left turn! Expect the unexpected. The traffic police use radar and photograph speeders for tickets.

There are some signs on main roads showing how to get to popular places but mostly you have to know your way around. I would suggest riding in taxi until you know where to go and how to get there. Roads are also very empty early on Friday mornings so a good time to explore.

I find it much easier to drive here than in Vietnam or India as long as I stay alert for strange maneuvers from other drivers. There seem to be a lot of drivers with little experience or talking on their mobile phones so I stay very alert when driving.

Hope this helps.

I really appreciate your kindness in giving me a detailed answer...thanks

hello i ll be in erbil next month and i would like to know about:
1-safety
2-health care especially for enfant
3-education
4-transportation

Safety
Men can go anywhere anytime. Women usually stay home, go out during daylight hours only and then in their neighborhoods or to a mall and with friends. Some Iraqi neighbors have told me that home break ins are a possibility because Iraqis keep money in their houses.

Culture
This is a culture of relationships, families, tribes. Even for shopping you have to make a relationship with the person unless in a hypermarket. Strangers will touch your children and offer sweets/food to them. Strangers will be affectionate and play with your children, especially waiters in restaurants.

Erbil is very conservative. Women usually do not have any skin exposed other than hands, feet, face, hair (sometimes). Women may wear tight clothing as long as it is all covered. Men wear mostly pants, few shorts. Some women do not wear an abiya but may wear a headscarf. If you see a woman in a short skirt she has pants on underneath. Layers are helpful because in a single day the weather can change. Neighbors watch each other closely to encourage correct behaviors.

Health
Primitive compared to Western countries. Many people go to Turkey for infant vaccinations, etc. Vaccination is very important because many diseases such as measles and polio are still an issue here. Protect the baby from sandflies at all times by using nets and long sleeves and pants with cuffs. (no sandflies usually in December-Feb)Sun is also very strong here most of the year.
Ask your neighbors for a referral to a reliable doctor. Be extremely careful with medicine because old, counterfeit, and possibly hazardous medicines are still in use here. Consult your home doctor when any diagnosis is made and double check about the medicine. Places where you buy drugs here may or may not have a well trained pharmacist.
I would bring a supply of any commonly used medications from your own home country until you get set up here.

Schools
Bleak
Private schools are of little value because they are stuffed full of Iraqi kids who are all learning English and possibly some regional languages. That means if your goal is English fluency for a kid and your child is also ESL they will have no peer models. Governmental schools are really not satisfactory with overcrowding, short school day, etc.

Transport
No public bus system but if you can read Arabic and are a man you can flag down one of the shared minibuses that travel on popular routes. Just stand anywhere on the route and when you see it stick out your hand.

Old cars seem to hold their value and are expensive. New cars start at 13,000USD. No insurance here. If you are driving and in an accident you will pay any health bills of other person and to fix their car. It is too much responsibility for me so I do not drive here. Motorcycles can be had for as little as 1000USD. There are not too many motorcycles or mopeds on the roads.

Taxis- locals do not negotiate the fare before they get in. In the past 2 years due to increase in tourists there has been an increase in cheating by taxi drivers so negotiate fare before getting in. Older taxis are more honest. They have white car body with red. Avoid taxis branded with mall names due to super high prices. Fares range from 4000ID to about 7000ID in town. You do not pay extra for more people in cab or baggage. No meters.

Airport Arrival- You must take an airport bus to another building. In front of that building there are taxis. Expensive taxis. Hello Taxi has the airport contract and is double the normal price but can pick you up directly from the terminal so you don't have to use airport bus. No one other than Hello Taxi can go to the airport terminal.

Baby Equipment- Tons of used good condition clothing available at second hand markets so ask around. Prices are cheap sometimes between 1000ID and 4000ID each piece. Don't worry about clothing as plenty there up until about a size 4 years of age. Disposable diapers/nappy easily available. I have never seen infant jars of food, electric grinders/blenders are very cheap here. Formula is available but seems expensive to me. You can easily buy Johnson's baby soap and shampoo here as well as cheaper brands from Turkey. They also sell disposable wipes. Carefully inspect anything sold for babies as there seems to be no safety controls here and equipment may or may not be safe.

Setting up House
Malls are the most expensive place to shop.
Many neighborhoods have small housewares stores where everything is sold for a cheap price.
For most everything there are roads around the Citadel that feature goods like electronics, carpets, etc. My strategy for that is to find a taxi driver who can speak my language and have them help me negotiate and buy. Men seem to get better prices there than women. You can also buy used furniture there. In some places there is a large enough expat population that you can buy things off of expats. I have not seen that here.

Good luck with your move.

thanks for your time to reply me , its seems i may need your phone number (if its okay) when i arrive there
i am considering an offer :3000 $ they will give me accommodation + air ticket + insurance
what do you think and you gave me a bad idea about the education and the medical care,i was shocked.cause this was a essentially for me
any way what do you think of this offer
thanks again

I am sorry but I am a female and in this culture I can lose my job for having contacts with men.

I do not know about the salary. Are they paying private school fees which can run around $10,000USD per year or higher? Are they providing you with health insurance, emergency evacuation, etc?
Is your housing included?

I spend $500 per month on food for myself. That includes chicken, eggs, veg, fruit, beans, rice. Can be done a bit cheaper. I do not buy very many imported items but do like nice fruit and chocolate. I do not pay utilities, housing, transport so don't know about those costs.

I do not find Iraq cheap compared to the USA. Doctor visit runs 25000ID. You can take your chances and go to the poorly staffed government hospital for 500ID.

Maybe you need to ask other people their opinions. Hope someone else responds to you. I am not a good example because I am single and do not have the same things to pay for as you will.

Is there any thing good about Erbil because all I hear is that the health, educational systems are not up to the mark? Are they getting better with time? I see that a new, state of the art Kurdistan Children's Hospital is now being built which should be open to the public any time this year!

The weather in Erbil is lovely most of the year. Winters are not too cold, although nights can be. Only a few months in summer are extremely hot. The air is quite clean compared to other developing countries I have lived in. The landscape is beautiful with colors changing according to the season. There are low mountain backdrops which appear almost purple from a distance. In the spring there are fields of wildflowers growing and everything is green. Brilliant red poppies wave under sunshine during this time. Then comes the hot, dry summer and things turn shades of lovely earthy brown and the air is so hot and dry like and oven. Fall comes and the weather becomes delightful. Winter comes and is generally mild. Sometimes the distant mountains become snow capped. Then it is spring again.

You can travel around in the region. A daytrip to Shaklawa is nice because it is in the mountains. Some people like to hop on over to Suleymania which is much less conservative city than Erbil. Others will go to Lalish to see the Yazidi culture and their yearly festival. You can drive up to a waterfall in the mountains which is shown on the 5,000ID bill or maybe its the 10,000 bill. 2 1/2 hours on the airplane can take you to Dubai or Istanbul, etc.

The pace of building and development here is amazingly rapid. In the 4 years I have been here so many new high rise buildings, "luxury" communities, etc. have been built. There are now many more luxury restaurants, coffee shops with $9 cups of coffee, and other such things targeted to the rich.

For me as a woman, life here is difficult because the culture is extremely conservative and everyone here who is a local gets married fairly young. Men get two wives if they can afford both.

I would say come here and live if you can bring your husband/wife and can somehow supplement your children's education so that when you have to go back to your country of origin you can reintegrate your children into their own educational systems.

This place is a man's paradise. Men can go anywhere and do many things women can't do here.
There is good and bad in every place. The culture of Turkmen, Kurdish, and Arab requires them to be kind to foreigners who are among them. I have experienced great kindness from strangers when I was lost, when I fell on the uneven pavement, when my shopping cart got stuck on the travellator. I happen to be a white female. Friends who are people of color have reported hostility and at times poor treatment from locals.

There is good and bad in every place. My personal philosophy is that it is best to be prepared and know the weak points of any place so that you can plan for them accordingly. Most people don't like surprises. For example I am moving to another continent next. I have found out the good things and the bad things about my soon to be home. Now I can go in prepared and ready which means I will be able to make the best of things.

Thank you for your post. I agree that one has to know the good and bad things about every place and be realistic. Moving anywhere with or without family is tough and if you are moving with the family then the insecurity and fears naturally run high.

It is good to know though that Erbil is developing with time and moving forward. I am sure you must have seen it all in the three years that you have been there. All the best with your new move and thank you for your post.

I look forward to an exciting time at work and with family in Erbil!

Kind regards,

Dear Expat community in Erbil,

You are right that medical service is not up to the international standards in Iraq ''in general'' however i would recommend for you to visit our company called Life Support Team in Erbil, so many expat are getting their medical treatment with us, till now we got around 5,000 registered patient annually.

We are exclusive medical provider for many Oil & Gas companies in Kurdistan and as many of you knows that Oil & Gas companies follow very high standards in regards to medical services which we furnish to them.

Individual also welcomed at our premises, we offer range of medical services which you can view online
lst-medic.com

Please feel free to communicate with me for any future medical support.

Bashar

[email protected]

Regards

Dear Sir as an Iraqi Kurdish Medical Doctor since Last 20 Yrs, I can assist with any any of support you seek any time.
my yahoo mail is ahs6441
Dr. A Shukur
Erbil