By Sami Zaptia
London, 7 October 2016:
Libya’s eastern-based Health Ministry will be participating in the International Healthcare Funding Forum to be held in Tunis 18-19 October. The event is co-sponsored by WHO and the Libyan Health Ministry as well as a number of other corporate sponsors.
The former eastern Libya Health Minister, Reida El-Oakley is the Conference and Scientific Committee Chairman. He will present a paper entitled: ‘‘The Role of Health Saving Accounts; Affordable Excellence.
Libyan doctor Arbi Gomati from the National Health Insurance Task Force is also presenting a paper entitled ‘‘Potential implementation of National Health Insurance in Libya’’
Organizers say that the aim of the event is to bring Ministers of Health, Finance, Social Services and Planning as well as healthcare and finance experts together to discuss the various methods of healthcare financing.
El-Oakley told Libya Herald that he expected some serious offers of financing of projects in Libya’s health sector at the event – despite Libya’s current situation.
On another note, El-Oakley reported that 25-30 children who need urgent life-saving heart operations may not get them because the planned October visit of the William Novick Children Heart Charity to Benghazi will be have to be cancelled unless US$ 125,000 is secured to cover consumables and tickets for the team coming from the US and Europe. The charity had visited Libya in February, May and November 2015.
El-Oakley said that the eastern Health Ministry ‘‘has no access to such funds thanks to the political divide, the Central Bank of Libya and the UN recognizing only a non-existing Government of National Accord in Tripoli.
