ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Head of Iran’s Food and Drug Organization Mehdi Birsalehi has said that Iran exports $25 million worth of medicine and medical supplies annually to neighboring Iraq.
“Iran has the capacity to export $200 million of medicine and medical equipment to Iraq every year,” Birsalehi, told Iran’s state news agency, IRNA on Thursday.
His remarks came after a joint meeting between Iran’s Health Minister and Iraq’s Trade Minister.
Birsalehi also explained that, despite an agreement between the two countries regarding medical supplies, the mechanism to register Iranian medical imports into Iraq is slow, hoping health authorities in the country would move to expedite the process.
Last month, Iraqi Health Minister Aladdin al-Alwan claimed that 75 percent of drugs and medical paraphernalia entering Iraq bypass quality control checks and inspections, raising concerns.
Iraq relies considerably on neighboring Iran to fulfill most of its needs in different sectors and industries, including food, health, energy, and trade.