Al-Khadra and Zuwara Hospital medical staff announced that they are joining the partial strike as the action spreads across Libya.
A statement issued by the staff of Al-Hadba Al-Khadra General Hospital affirmed that citizens' health is not a matter for bargaining and that workers' rights are not a favour granted to them.
Citing the deteriorating conditions and severe shortages of resources and supplies paralyzing the health sector, the staff announced their solidarity with the health sector movement, their insistence on their legitimate and legally guaranteed rights, and their rejection of the poor conditions that negatively impact both the workforce and the delivery of healthcare services to citizens.
The statement clarified that any prior partial suspension of health services was caused solely by a lack of resources, not by an abandonment of their responsibilities toward patients.
Meanwhile, in a long statement, the General Syndicate for Allied Medical Professions, said the health sector will not remain silent in the face of this injustice.
‘‘It is inconceivable that doors are opened for salary increases and special privileges for certain groups, while healthcare workers—who bear the responsibility of saving the lives of the sick and injured—are left to suffer with low wages. These salaries are commensurate neither with their qualifications nor with the immense effort, responsibility, and risks they shoulder daily.
Medical and allied health professionals are not ordinary employees. They work in emergency departments, intensive care units, operating rooms, radiology, laboratories, nursing, and other specialties. They handle critical cases, accidents, injuries, infectious diseases, and the risks of contagion and epidemics, all while working under difficult conditions and in situations that allow for no delay or hesitation.
Yet, their salaries still fail to reflect the value of their contributions, the magnitude of their responsibilities, or the risks to which they are exposed. What kind of justice—or appreciation—is this?
Ignoring the demands of healthcare workers is no longer acceptable; this issue can no longer be treated as a secondary matter or one to be postponed indefinitely.
We are not asking for charity, nor are we seeking personal privileges; rather, we demand fair rights, salaries that uphold our dignity, and genuine recognition of our qualifications, experience, responsibilities, and occupational risks.
Accordingly, the General Syndicate for Allied Medical Professions – Libya—the professional body representing its members—affirms that it will not stand idly by in the face of this continued disregard.
It is fully prepared to shoulder its responsibilities and take necessary, legitimate escalatory measures—up to and including a comprehensive, total sit-in across all health facilities and institutions at every level—should these just demands continue to be ignored and no serious action taken to address the workers' situation.
This is not a threat; it is a clear message: patience has its limits, and rights are not forfeited simply by being ignored.
We hold the competent authorities responsible for any tension or unrest within the health sector resulting from the continued neglect of this issue. We demand urgent action to seriously address the matter of salaries and to implement clear, fair solutions, rather than relying on mere promises and delays.
Those who save citizens' lives deserve to have their dignity upheld. Those who safeguard the nation's health should not be treated as a low priority’’.