The Health and Medical Education Authority at the Imam Hussain Holy Shrine has launched a major health initiative in partnership with the University of Liverpool. The campaign, led by the Al-Thaqalayn Foundation for Cancer Treatment in Basra, is part of the Iraq Healthy Lung Project and aims to detect lung cancer and other serious lung diseases at an early stage.

Dr. Ahmed Al-Khafaji, project supervisor, stated that the initiative is part of a broader national effort titled “One Million Free Early Screenings.” It is supported by the Health and Medical Education Authority, the representative of the Supreme Religious Authority Sheikh Abdul-Mahdi Al-Karbalaey, and the Imam Hussain Holy Shrine, in collaboration with local and international partners.

Dr. Al-Khafaji emphasized that the program is grounded in a scientific feasibility study conducted from 2017 to 2019 by a joint team from the University of Baghdad and Iraq’s Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the University of Liverpool—a global leader in respiratory disease research. More recently, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) joined the project as a key scientific partner.

Currently being implemented across several institutions affiliated with the Health and Medical Education Authority, the program aims to build a sustainable and evidence-based model for early lung disease detection tailored to Iraq’s healthcare context.

Beyond benefiting patients, Dr. Al-Khafaji said the program serves as a strategic advancement for the healthcare sector by easing the burden on hospitals and enabling a shift toward prevention and early intervention.

He also highlighted the initiative's humanitarian significance, noting that early detection of lung cancer can spare patients the pain and high costs associated with late-stage diagnosis, significantly improving recovery prospects.