In a situation characterized by shortages in health and medical supplies and vital health equipment, a new shipment of equipment needed for renal dialysis arrived last Thursday in the Libyan capital Tripoli, followed by a shipment of vaccines. The shipments are taking place within the framework of a programme for medical supplies, valued at 100 million Euros, to help meet the urgent needs of the Libyan people. The stock of such supplies is nearly depleted as a result of the exceptional circumstances experienced in Libya since last February. These circumstances have prevented necessary medical equipment from reaching the Libyan people, which has led to the deterioration of services provided by the national health system.

The first shipment of supplies, consisting of antibiotics, medicines for treating noncommunicable diseases, bandages and venous fluids, reached the Libyan territory on 19 September, with the aim of alleviating the supply shortages faced by the health sector. The new shipment occured within the framework of initiatives by the joint working group of the Libyan Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization, which is making concerted efforts to tackle the emergency situation caused by the shortage of medical supplies. The working group has also been able to resume the supply chain of curative and preventive materials following detailed planning for medium- and long-term needs, with a view to preventing the occurrence of such shortages of medical supplies in the future.

Dr Hussein A. Gezairy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, praised the role of the Libyan side, saying: “While the World Health Organization, represented by its Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, extends a helping hand to the Libyan people to help them surmount this emergency situation, it expresses its deep gratitude and appreciation to the Libyan health authorities for the commitment and cooperation they have shown in overcoming all obstacles and accelerating the pace of work to provide medical supplies and avoid the consequences of stock outages in vaccines and renal dialysis equipment.” The Regional Director also thanked the Governments of Egypt and Tunisia for facilitating the shipping procedures and the arrival of the supplies in Libyan territory.

The medical supplies required to meet the needs of the Libyan people are estimated at US$ 1 billion annually. According to well-informed experts, the new Libyan government has inherited an extremely critical health situation as regards shortage of medical supplies, medicines and vaccines and damage to health facilities as a result of the disturbances that have continued for many months.

The joint medical procurement group of the World Health Organization and the National Technical Committee of the Libyan Ministry of Health will pursue its work until all urgent medical needs have been met.