Sema
After a full year of a bitter struggle with illness, it was announced today that six members of one family displaced from Sinjar District have fully recovered from cancer, thanks to a humanitarian response and direct initiative by the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani.
The family, who had been living in a displacement camp in Duhok Governorate, expressed overwhelming joy at this health victory. On Friday, they hosted a luncheon for relatives and friends as a gesture of gratitude and appreciation to everyone who supported them during their ordeal—foremost among them the Prime Minister.
The story dates back nearly a year, when medical examinations shocked the family of “Abdullah Khidr” after six of its members were diagnosed with cancer at the same time. As news of the tragedy spread, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani instructed the Minister of Health to immediately follow up on the case and ensure the highest levels of treatment and medical care at the government’s expense.
A specialized medical team at Azadi Teaching Hospital in Duhok supervised the case, where the family members underwent intensive treatment and complex surgical procedures. According to “Tahseen,” a relative of the family, the medical and surgical intervention—carried out upon the Prime Minister’s direct recommendation—was highly successful and saved the six individuals from what he described as “certain death.”
Masrour Barzani’s support was not limited to medical assistance alone, but also extended to humanitarian and living conditions. He ordered that the family be provided with an apartment to help them leave behind the harsh displacement life in tents, which significantly improved their psychological well-being and accelerated their recovery.
Tahseen noted that the family had completely lost hope due to their difficult financial circumstances and the number of patients, to the extent that the children did not expect to survive long enough to complete their education. However, this initiative transformed their despair into a new life and a promising future.
This step comes as part of a series of humanitarian initiatives led by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani to support displaced and affected families, especially the people of Sinjar who have endured the hardships of war and displacement. The Kurdistan Regional Government has reaffirmed its continued commitment to covering the costs of complex medical cases and providing support through the Cancer Control Fund to ensure healthcare for all citizens without discrimination.