24 July 2025, Alkufra, Libya – In the dusty alleys of Mazraat Kreek, one of the most underserved communities in Libya’s southeast, a quiet shift in health care is unfolding. Not in hospitals or clinics, but on people’s doorsteps.

With a knock at the door and a warm greeting, community health workers (CHWs) have been making their rounds in Alkufra as part of a World Health Organization (WHO)-led pilot programme to improve access to primary health care (PHC) in hard-to-reach areas. Conducted throughout 2024 and 2025, the visits reached over 500 households in Tripoli, Sabha, Benghazi, Wadi Al-Shatea and Alkufra, providing more than 5000 people with essential health information, preventive screenings and early referrals.

In Alkufra alone, CHWs engaged with 1303 individuals across 6 communities. They delivered health messages covering topics such as balanced nutrition, personal hygiene, safe water use and the prevention of chronic and infectious diseases, and provided 130 people with health services, including temperature and blood pressure checks, antenatal and postnatal care and blood sugar screenings.

This household-level approach has led to the early detection of 33 chronic disease cases, most of them diabetes, and prompted timely medical referrals in areas where health care access is often constrained by insecurity and limited infrastructure.

The programme is reshaping the relationship between communities and the health system. Through trust-building, local influencer engagement and consistent presence, CHWs are reinforcing the idea that health care doesn’t begin at the clinic – it begins at home.

Encouraged by the early results, WHO is working to expand the initiative to cover more regions, with the goal of embedding PHC more deeply into the fabric of community life.

The pilot is an example of how WHO works hand-in-hand with communities to accelerate progress towards the health-related Sustainable Development Goals by promoting preventive care, addressing disparities and helping ensure that no one is left behind.