FH Europe Foundation is pleased to welcome FH Iraq as a new member of the FHEF Network. This important step strengthens our shared commitment to improving the lives of people and families affected by familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) and other inherited lipid disorders through collaboration, education, advocacy, and a stronger patient voice.
Based in Iraq, FH Iraq is a growing organisation led by Dr. San Fatih, an internist with expertise in lipid disorders. The organisation works closely with the Iraqi Lipid Clinics Network, which currently brings together 19 healthcare professionals committed to improving lipid management and cardiovascular prevention across the country.
FH Iraq’s mission focuses on raising awareness, improving diagnosis, and strengthening support for people living with inherited dyslipidaemias. Their work spans patient support, education, advocacy, and awareness-raising initiatives, with a particular emphasis on earlier identification of patients, cascade screening, education for both patients and healthcare professionals, and improving access to evidence-based lipid-lowering treatments.
The organisation also advocates across a broader spectrum of inherited lipid disorders and cardiovascular risk factors, including homozygous FH (HoFH), elevated Lp(a), familial chylomicronaemia syndrome (FCS), and cardiovascular disease prevention more broadly.
One of the strengths of FH Iraq is its inclusive approach, bringing together people with lived experience alongside healthcare professionals working in lipidology and cardiovascular prevention. This combination of patient and clinical perspectives is essential to building effective advocacy and improving standards of care.
The organisation joined the FHEF Network to connect with established patient organisations, learn from international best practices, strengthen advocacy efforts, and support the development of higher standards of care for FH patients in Iraq. Their vision strongly aligns with many of the priorities shared across the FHEF community: earlier diagnosis, structured screening programmes, education, and equitable access to treatment.
FH Iraq also highlighted the importance of a united and evidence-based patient voice to strengthen advocacy efforts and improve the visibility of FH globally. By joining the network, they hope to contribute local experiences and challenges while participating in regional and international awareness and advocacy initiatives.
FH Europe Foundation believes progress accelerates when organisations work together openly and collaboratively, particularly in areas such as early detection, improved treatment pathways, and fair access to care. FH Iraq’s commitment to capacity building, awareness campaigns, and national screening initiatives reflects the growing momentum behind inherited lipid disorder advocacy worldwide.
As Dr. San Fatih shared in a message to FH Europe Foundation:
“A unified, evidence-based patient voice strengthens advocacy efforts, improves the visibility of FH, and supports equitable access to diagnosis and treatment across countries and regions.”
We warmly welcome FH Iraq to the FHEF Network and look forward to working together to strengthen awareness, improve pathways to diagnosis, and support better access to care—so that more people living with FH and inherited lipid disorders are identified, supported, and treated earlier.