ERBIL — Kurdistan Region’s Health Minister Saman Barzanji is planning to visit Baghdad in the upcoming days to seek federal government’s assistance to fight the new coronavirus outbreak.

Barzanji told BasNews that they are preparing a high-level ministerial delegation for the visit to the health ministry of Iraq, but he declined to specify a date for the meetings in Baghdad.

The Iraqi government, since the outbreak of the pandemic in Kurdistan, has funded the Kurdistan coronavirus task force only once with 3.5 billion Iraqi Dinar (approximately USD2.9 million), said the minister, emphasizing that Baghdad is responsible towards the people in Kurdistan during this hardship.

The minister noted that amid the noticeable decrease in government revenues due to the economic repercussions of the pandemic, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is struggling with the expenses related to anti-coronavirus efforts while the number of infections is rapidly increasing.

BasNews