The history of Iraqi Cardiothoracic society

By: Dr. Hikmat Al-Shaarbaf FRCP (C), MD

Our society, The Iraqi Cardiothoracic Society, is one of the first scientific societies to be established in Iraq.
It was in 1966, when eminent physicins and surgeons in the field of cardiology and chest diseases who where working then in the uneversity as distinguished professors or in the Ministry of Health and in the armed forces as specialists decided to ask the permission of the Ministry of Interior Affairs to established a scientific society under the name of the ( Iraqi Cardiothoracic Society). When the permission ws granted a non-elected temporary council for the society was formed at April 7th 1967. The council’s responsibility was to handle the society affairs until a new council is formed through a general election. For the record the names of the temporary council members were:
1. Dr. Salem Al-Damaluji
2. Dr. Farhan Bakir
3. Dr. Yousif Al-Numan
4. Dr. Moyad Al-Omari
5. Dr. Ihsan Al-Bahrani
6. Dr. Shawkit Al-Dahan
7. Dr. Budai Subhia
8. Dr. Adnan Sarsam
9. Dr. Jahad Shaheen
10. Dr. Jawad Al-Dewani
11. Dr. Majeed Al-Shamaa
12. Dr. Ahmad Abdul Razak Al-Sabti
The council members elected Dr. Salem Al-Damaluji as president. Dr. Al-Omari as secretary
general and Dr. Al-Dewani as treasurer.
On May 17th 1967 the first election was held and new permanent council was formed.
Dr. Salem Al-Damaluji became the president, Dr. Al-Omari as secretary general and Dr. Al-Dewani
as treasurer. Four other members were elected to complete a council of seven as sated in the by-law
of the society. Those four members were Dr. Bakir, Dr. Al-Bahrani, Dr. Subhia and Dr. Shaheen.
The society from its foundation in 1967until now (38 years)passed into three important eras. The first was from 1967-1989 during which it’s name was ( Iraqi Cardiothoracic Society). In 1989 all medical scientific societies were supended and were regarded then as aprt of the Iraqi Medical Association. The second era of the society started then i.e. 1989 and continued until 1995. during this period it was a committee of heart &chest diseases under the umbrella of the Iraqi Medical Association.
A permission to establish a new society under the name (Iraqi Society of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Physicians and Surgeons) was granted on December 13th ,1995 and the first election for a new council was held on February 19th ,1996. This was the start of the third era.
During 38 years of the society’s life, five presidents headed its council. They were:
1. Dr. Al-Damaluji (1967-1978)
2. Dr. Bakir (1978-1982)
3. Dr. Ibraheem Taha (1982-1990) and (1994-1996)
4. Dr. Moyad Al-omari (1990-1994)
5. Dr. Ihsan Al-Bahrani (1996-2005)
6. Dr. Adil S. Abdul Ghafour (2005- now)




And four secretaries general held the post during the same period. They were:
1. Dr. Moyad Al-Omari (1976-1974)
2. Dr. Adil S. Abdul Ghafour (1974-1976)
3. Dr. Muhammad Saleh Al-Ani (1978-1982)
4. Dr. Hikmat Al-Shaarbaf (1976-1978) & (1982-2005)
5. Dr. Faisal Haba (2005- now)

The limited financial resources of the society were the reason behind the fact that the society does not have a permanent headquarter or office. Most of the time it’s office occupied a room given by the Iraqi Anti-Tuberculosis Society with which our society has strong ties and great co-operation. At the start the office was at Abu –Tammam Street just opposite Al-Umma Gardens at Bab Al-Shargy. Then after that it moved to the second floor in a building at Al-Rasheed Street. Then the office of the society was in the building of the Supreme Council of the Scientific Societies in Al-Masbah area. For a short period the office, a small room in the Iraqi Medical Society building in Al-Mansur area. And finally the society settled in the building of the anti-tuberculosis Society at Al-Zaitun Street, Al-Harthia area. In between these movements the society had no place to occupy so it’s documents were with secretary general at his home, in his car or at his small office in the sixth floor of the medical city teaching hospital.
The scientific activities of the society were variable and informative. In the first era many lectures, seminars and courses were arranged. Among these there were tow good courses of electrocardiography and one course in cardiac physiology. The first scientific conference was held during the period February 22nd –24th 1988. Three more conferences were held in 1990, 1993 and 1996. In addition many lectures and seminars covering the subjects of congenital heart disease, stroke thromboembolism, dysrrhythmias, hypertension, asthma, lung cancer and heart failure were arranged. Some of these seminars were organized outside Baghdad namely in Babylon, Mosul and Al-Qadisia.
Finally with the turn of the century tow events marked the activities. Those are this bulletin and the society’s new branch in Musul. Such events showed that the society’s activities are both expanding and advancing.
The scientific activities are the main objectives of the society, whose bylaw stated
clearly that one of it’s main objectives is (to improve the scientific and technical standard of
cardiovascular and chest medicine and surgery in Iraq) and to accomplish this objectives by
holding ( scientific conferences,
symposia and seminars). I thought it is proper to give some details about the scientific
conferences and symposia with reference to the members of the society’s executive councils
who were in office during each conference.

I thought it is proper too, to shade light on the society’s participation in the activities in
the similar local and Pan Arabic societies.

The first scientific conference was held at Big Hall for scientific conferences / medical city from February 22nd –24th 1988, the members of executive council were:
1. Dr. Ibrahim Taha ( President)
2. Dr. Hikmat Al-Shaarbaf ( General Secratory)
3. Dr. Omar Al-Kubaisi ( Treasurer)
4. Dr. Nazar Al-Hassani
5. Dr. Nazar Al-Mufti
6. Dr. Oaf Al-Samari
7. Dr. Shakir Al-Janabi

The scientific committee for the conference was headed by Dr. Ihsan Al-Bahrani. There were (219) participants, (39) papers and (3) symposia and one lecture about cardiology in the Arabic literature. The symposia dealt with tuberculosia, ischemic heart disease and cardiothoracic and vascular war injuries.
The executive council’s members who should be credited for the second conference and for particiapotion in the first meeting of the Pan Arab cardiac society were:

1. Dr. Ibrahim Taha ( President)
2. Dr. Hikmat Al-Shaarbaf ( General Secratory)
3. Dr. Omar Al-Kubaisi ( Treasurer)
4. Dr. Oaf Al-Samari
5. Dr. Nazar Al-Mufti
6. Dr. Muhammad Al-Rawi
7. Dr. Hamid Al-Ani

Most of the executive council’s members attended the first Jordanian Cardiac Conference in Amman Oct. 1988. After the scientific conference in Amman, a meeting to establish a Pan Arab society for cardiac physicians and surgeons was held at Jordanian Cultural center on 25.10.1988. The meeting though attended by all Iraqi delegates, but tow executive council’s members represented the Iraqi society: Dr. Al-Kubaisi and Dr. Al-Ani.

The second scientific conference for our society was held at Al-Rasheed Hotel from 13-15. 2. 1990. Dr. Ihsan Al-Bahrani headed the scientific committee. There were (181) participants, some of whom were from Arabic and western countries. (38) Papers were presented by (18) Iraqis, (11) Arabs and (5) western doctors. The conference also included a panel discussion about (smoking and organ transplantation between science and religion).

The third conference (16-18.2.1993) was held at Big Hall for acientific conferences / medical city with participation of (182) doctors. (37) papers were presented and one symposium about ( tuberculosis in the region and its future impact) was given.

The society executive council then included:
1. Dr. Mouaid Al-omary (president)
2. Dr. Ibrahim Taha (Vice President)
3. Dr. Hikmat Al-Shaarbaf (Secretary General)
4. Dr. Omar Al-Kubaisi (Treasurer)
5. Dr. Faisal Haba
6. Dr. Nazar Al-Mufti
7. Dr. Kasim Shimal

The fourth conference (November17th- 19th ,1998) was held at Al-Rasheed Hotel. It included (66) papers and one symposium about (Drug resistant clinical cases of tuberculosis). Dr. Adil S headed the scientific committee. Abdul Ghafour while the members of executive council were:

1. Dr. Ihsan Al-Bahrani (President)
2. Dr. Ibrahim Taha (Vice President)
3. Dr. Hikmat Al-Shaarbaf (General Secretary)
4. Dr. Omar Al-Kubaisi (Treasurer)
5. Dr. Jaffar Al-Kuwaiti
6. Dr. Kasim Shimal
7. Dr. Faisal Haba


For the record one should say with gratitude that all four conferences were held
in cooperation and with scientific and financial support o the Iraqi Society Against Tuberculosis
and Chest Diseases.

The executive council, which was credited for the society’s fourth scientific council,
should be credited too for many symposia and seminars, which held in the year 1996-1998.
They included:
• Congenital Heart Disease (April 25th,1996)
• CVA (with the cooperation of the Iraqi Society OF Neurosciences) (April 7th,1996)
• Cardiac Arrhythmias (November 15th,1996)
• Bronchial Asthma (February 10th,1997)
• DVT and Pulmonary embolism (April 24th,1997)
• New advances in heart disease (with the cooperation of Mousil school of medicine) (October 22nd –23rd,1997)
• Hypertension (May 28th,1998)
• What is new in Hypertension (with the cooperation of Babylon University/ school of medicine (December 10th,1998).

The last society’s executive council included:
1. Dr. Ihsan Al-Bahrani (President)
2. Dr. Ibrahim Taha (Vice President)
3. Dr. Hikmat Al-Shaarbaf (General Secretary)
4. Dr. Faisal Haba (Treasurer)
5. Dr. Nazar Al-Hassani
6. Dr. Adil S. Abdul Ghafour
7. Dr. Sabah Mikhael Yacoub
This council so far had organized many symposia and seminars and had participated in
the discussion for re-establishing the Pan Arab Society for Cardiovascular physicians and surgeons.
This discussion was though tow meetings one hold in Amman (April 2000) and the other in Beirut
(October 2000). Both were attended by tow society’s representatives Dr. Al-Shaarbaf And Dr. Yacoub.
The executive council was planning for the fifth scientific conference for the society in March 2002, unfortunately this conference was postponed as there was an idea of holding a joint conference with the specialized cardiac centers in Iraq ( Ibn Al-Bitar hospital and The Iraqi center for heart diseases. This idea didn’t see the light
The current society executive council include:
1. Dr. Adil S. Abdul Ghafour (President)
2. Dr. Emad Al-Mashat (Vice President)
3. Dr. Faisal Haba (General Secretary)
4. Dr. Mazen Adil (Treasurer)
5. Dr. Hilal B.Shawki (Head of scientific committee)
6. Dr. Kasim Al-Dori
7. Dr. Abass Al-Sharefi(ICTS Journal Editor)