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 physicians and surgeons in the field of cardiology and chest diseases who where working then in the university 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 was 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 suspended and were regarded then as part 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 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 following excutive council was elected in 2004

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)

The current society executive council include:

1.  Dr. Adil S. Abdul Ghafour (President)
2.  Dr. Faisal Haba (Vice President)
3.  Dr. Hilal B.Shawki  (General Secretary)
4.  Dr. Kasim Al-Dori (Head of scientific committee)
5.  Dr. Usama Jaber (Member)
6.  Dr. Ali Alsultany (Member)
7.  Dr. Sabah Nori Jaber (Member)
8.  Dr. Mohammed Subhi (Member)
9.  Dr. Mohammed Waihieb (Member)