Health emergency in Libya

About the project

Libya is very politically unstable, which limits and in many cases prevents the civilian population’s access to fundamental rights such as health and education. Thousands of people do not have access to healthcare, and medication is scarce. A recent assessment from the Ministry of Health reveals that only 60% of hospitals are partially or fully operational, most medical personnel have fled the country, and the few doctors who remain lack the tools and resources needed to work safely. A recent analysis of the capacity of the Libyan healthcare sector, supported by the World Health Organisation, shows that out of a total of 1,656 healthcare facilities, 17% of hospitals and 20.1% of first aid centres are non-operational.

Our project supports an emergency intervention in the Fezzan region (province of Ubari). We work with 4 health centres to improve healthcare services for vulnerable groups, whether they are residents or migrants. The region of Fezzan has long been neglected by the Libyan authorities, and today it remains largely marginalised in the context of the country as a whole.

In the province of Ubari alone, 20,000 individuals are in need of humanitarian assistance. The most vulnerable groups are 4,000 internally displaced people in the areas of Al-Aweinat, Ghat, Murzuq, Sabha and Tuyuri, as well as over 8,000 who have returned to their homes.

We work alongside Terre des Hommes and STACO, one of Libya’s most important and well-organised NGOs, to construct health centres, distribute medicines and rebuild schools. This intervention is part of an initiative in Libya promoted by the Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development. In October 2016, the agency came to an agreement with area representatives, thus permitting the sending of emergency aid to hospital facilities in all five provinces of Fezzan.