A number of demonstrations are reportedly planned across Libya on Monday, 5 March, the first anniversary of the setting up of . . .[restrict]the National Transitional Council.
One that had been heavily tweeted is against rumoured plans by the government to send wounded freedom fighters for treatment in India and China rather than in Jordan, Tunisia and Europe. The move is said to be in order to save costs.
A demonstration against the move is reportedly planned for Monday outside the Prime Minister’s office in Tripoli at noon.
The costs of treating wounded freedom fighters abroad has become a major issue.
Last month, the head of Jordan’s Private Hospitals Association said that Libya owed $70 million for treatment of wounded Libyan fighters. He said that the association has decided to leave it to individual members to accept or reject Libyan patients. The Jordan Times reported at the time there were 22,000 Libyans receiving treatment in Jordanian hospitals and that 37,000 had been treated in the country since July last year. It also reported that earlier in February Libya had paid $100 million for hotel accommodation for Libyans travelling to Jordan either for treatment or accompanying the injured.
Last week, it was reported in Jordan that the Libyan government had paid $30 million out of the $80 million owed to Jordanian hospitals.
Last month, Deputy Prime Minister Mustafa Abu Shagur said that treatment of Libyan wounded at that pint had cost $800 million and that were at that point 40,000 people being treated abroad.
[/restrict]
