The medical market is one of the most important and largest industries in today’s business, which affect people’s health and well-being. Socioeconomic transition followed by extensive health systems reforms can change the medical market landscape in a region.
A more sustainable path toward development can be set, when development actors grasp and address the unique challenges of development in different sectors.
Until the last two decades, the main indicators of Iraq’s health status were improving significantly. But the wars in Iraq, military disasters, and sanctions caused a drop in health standards in this country. The table below shows the status of health and treatment centers in Iraq. Due to the continuous growth of the health care system in Iraq, there is an urgent need for expertise to build and manage new hospitals, trained staff, and advanced medical equipment.
However, the development of facilities and infrastructure of medical and health care systems should be based on precise information that can be obtained by market research.
Demographic Indicators in Iraq
Demographic indicators including gender, age, race/ethnicity/culture, employment, income level, education level, and civil status play an important role in the products and services a business provides for a target group, and demographic data gives the marketer a more complete picture of the buyer.
To identify pathways to deal with demands for medical and hospital equipment, there should be precise data and analysis of demographic indicators of Iraq’s population. Because these factors can influence the disparate health system demands of the region.
Gender Differences in Health and Medical Services Demands
Whilst in many countries research shows females made much more use of health services overall, in Iraq, older males are more likely to receive medical services. Different factors from biological to social ones affect the difference between male and female health and medical demands.
Health and medical service demands are influenced by social, environmental, cultural, and behavioral patterns. For example, the lower social status of females and gender discrimination can be a source of stress for women in Iraq. However, according to recent changes in women living in Iraq that can impact their health and quality of life, they should be analyzed as an important part of Iraq’s clients of different services including health and medical ones.
Hence, to succeed in health and medical promotion and development measures taken should be sensitive to the gender gap in behavior and demands.
Urban-rural Medical Services Gap
Nearly one-third of Iraq’s population lives in rural areas. The inequality in the allocation of medical and healthcare resources between urban and rural areas has become the main reason for traveling from rural areas to urban ones in Iraq.
There are wide differences in the allocation of healthcare expenditures and the number of healthcare facilities, available beds, and personnel between urban and rural areas in Iraq.
Trends in Mortality and Fertility in Iraq
Life expectancy at birth is a summary mortality measure and one of the used health status indicators which can be attributed to access to quality health services. According to data from OECD Data, Iraq is rather a country with the lowest life expectancy. Also, life expectancy at the age of 60 years old as the average number of years that a person at that age can be expected to live, is low in Iraq. This means that there is an urgent need to improve the facilities and medical and health services in Iraq.
On the other hand, the population growth rate is 2.5, and demand for healthcare increases with the rapid growth. The population of Iraq is projected to reach 50.19 million in 2030 and increase further to 70.94 million in 2050 and 107.71 million by 2100.
Thus, demand for health and medical services is predicted to increase. This means Iraq needs more investments in health and medical sectors all across the region.
How can GIIRAC help you?
GIIRAC can help you identify and measure core indicators including demographic characteristics, economic characteristics, behavioral characteristics, and psychosocial factors before entering the market of Iraq. Population segmentation can improve health and medical services outcomes, planning for resource allocation, and optimizing healthcare utilization.