Thousands of medical school graduates took to the streets of Baghdad on Tuesday to protest against the failure to hire them for public sector jobs over a year since they graduated.
The police used excessive force to disperse them, complained several protesters, who gathered near the Green Zone that houses government buildings.
Over 25 people were wounded in the rallies, while activists said eleven have “gone missing” and believed to be detained by security forces.
Witnesses said riot police used clubs and water cannon to disperse the protesters, leaving them with injuries.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered a probe into the violence, stressing that all Iraqis have the right to hold peaceful protests.
On Monday, the PM approved the appointment of nearly 60,000 doctors in the public sector. The cabinet agreed to allocate the necessary funds to finance their salaries.
The appointments weren’t enough to quell the anger on the streets.
Head of the parliamentary Human Rights Committee Arshad al-Salihi noted that the growing number of private universities has led to a growing number of medical school graduates, while there aren’t enough public sector job vacancies for them to fill.
He called on the state to provide different job grades for the graduates to ensure that they are hired.
Medical sources doubted that the state would be able to meet the demand for employment by the graduates due to their swelling numbers every year.
The sources explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that the majority of the private universities are owned by powerful political figures and parties.
One year at medical school costs at least 10 million dinars, or about 7,000 dollars, they added.
However, several health specialists have complained that the graduates aren’t even qualified enough for jobs given the poor and outdated educational standards at the universities they studied at.
“The greatest crime successive authorities in Iraq have committed – under the pressure of influential parties – is allowing the establishment of dozens of private universities that are specialized in various medical studies,” they added.
The sources predicted that the problem of unemployed graduates will only deepen with time and the government will find itself unable to contain their large numbers.
