The Tripoli based Libyan Ministry of Health said in a statement yesterday that any future recruitment of personnel from abroad would serve only as a temporary measure to address specific shortages, rather than a substitute for national talent.
The Health Ministry’s statement was a rebuttal of to an earlier statement yesterday by the Health Sector Movement Union in which it accused the Health Ministry of contracting with an employment company to recruit medical and paramedical personnel to Libya from Syria.
The Union stated that the recruitment process involves approximately 200 individuals, comprising 125 nursing staff and 75 medical professionals.
According to the alleged decision, monthly salaries for the Syrian medical personnel was to range from US$ 2,000 to US$ 3,200, depending on rank and specialization: US$ 3,200 for a consultant, US$3,000 for a first-level specialist, US$ 2,500 for a second-level specialist and a second-level physician, and US$ 2,000 for a third-level physician.
The Union, who have been leading a permanent demonstration in front of the Prime Minister’s Office, as well as on-off demonstrations in several parts of Libya, have been demanding a pay raise for their members.
The Union's proposal for the salary scale for Libyan nationals starts with a basic salary of 2,367 dinars for the first grade, and reaches 15,720 dinars for the 15th grade, with the need to activate the accompanying bonuses to keep pace with the cost of living.
The Union has warned against the marginalization of national cadres and the recruitment of doctors from abroad with salaries, it claims, of up to 30 thousand dinars, as this, it cautioned, may cause further deterioration of health services and the migration of talents.
The Ministry of Health’s rebuttal
In its rebuttal, the Ministry of Health said the salary figures publicised by the Union are baseless. It stressed that no salaries or financial values matching the circulated amounts have been ‘‘approved’’, nor—to date—has ‘‘any final contract been concluded with any country’’ in this regard.
It said any future contract that is approved will be publicly announced, including its details, terms, and costs.
The Ministry said its current activities are limited to ‘‘assessing needs and evaluating options from various countries to secure the required qualified personnel under terms and costs suitable for the state’’, all in coordination with the relevant authorities.
Severe shortage of nursing staff in Libya’s hospitals
The Ministry added that this is step is driven by ‘‘a severe shortage of nursing staff, even within hospitals in Tripoli; there are fully equipped wards and intensive care units that remain closed or operate below capacity due to an insufficient number of nurses to cover shifts and workloads’’.
Regarding doctors, the Ministry said that ‘‘shortage is most acute in remote areas, as well as in parts of the Mountain region, the Central region, the South, and the East, where hospitals and medical centers face a lack of physicians and specialists in key fields’’.
The patient is the one who suffers most from this shortage; ‘‘it is unacceptable for a fully equipped care unit to remain closed due to a lack of nurses, or for a citizen to be forced to travel hundreds of kilometres in search of a doctor or health service that ought to be available in their own area’’.
Health sector employs 350,000 but only 10 percent of which are doctors
The Ministry explained that although the health sector employs approximately 350,000 people, physicians account for no more than 10% of the total workforce. This, it added, indicates that the issue lies not in the total number of personnel, but rather in workforce composition, geographic distribution, the availability of required specializations, and shift coverage.
Priority is always given to Libyan medical and nursing staff
Priority is always given to Libyan medical and nursing staff, the Ministry stressed. It called upon national doctors and nurses to register and join facilities and regions facing staffing shortages; it is committed to streamlining recruitment procedures and ensuring a suitable working environment for them, it added.
Concurrently, the Ministry said it is working to regulate staffing structures and redistribute personnel based on the actual needs of each facility. It is also examining ways to improve salaries and incentives for medical and nursing staff currently on duty, particularly in the most critical specializations and regions.
Localisation of healthcare
The Ministry said the ultimate goal is not merely the act of contracting staff; rather, it is to reopen closed departments, operate fully equipped intensive care units, provide doctors to underserved areas, and ensure that patients can access necessary services as close to home as possible, without the burden of traveling long distances (localisation of healthcare).
Health Sector Movement Union Opposes Foreign Recruitment in Libya