A government memorandum to regulate the administrative competencies of health services in Libya has escalated criticism of doctors, coinciding with calls for a protest in front of the Prime Minister’s headquarters in Tripoli, next Monday, to demand improvement of professional and living conditions, and to address deficiencies within health facilities.
The move comes at a time when the protests, organized by health sector workers, are approaching the completion of their second month, amid complaints of low salaries, lack of medicines and medical supplies, malfunctioning of equipment, and a decline in the operational capabilities of hospitals and within health centers, according to statements issued by professional bodies.
On Thursday, the Minister of Local Government in charge of the “Interim” National Unity Government, Muhammad bin Ghalboun, and the Minister of Health, Muhammad Al-Ghouj, signed a memorandum of understanding and a reference document to regulate the levels of health services locally, and define the competencies and responsibilities between departments and facilities, in a step that the concerned authorities said was “aimed at supporting decentralization and improving the management of services.”
The two documents regulate the relationship between health services supervisors and departments and their affiliated facilities, and define levels of supervision and coordination, allowing the distribution of responsibilities according to the needs of different regions. However, their announcement was met with angry criticism from workers in the sector, who believed that rearranging administrative competencies was not sufficient to address the lack of capabilities.
What is known as the “Union of the Health Sector Movement in Libya,” said in a statement on Friday that signing administrative memorandums does not replace the provision of medicines, equipment, and maintenance of medical devices, and spoke of “shortcomings within health institutions,” calling on the authorities to take practical measures to improve the work environment for medical, paramedical, and administrative staff.
The Union criticized what it described as “sufficiency of documents and administrative procedures,” demanding that the necessary resources be provided to operate health facilities and address the problems facing their workers. He linked the improvement of services provided to citizens to the availability of basic necessities, and the responsible authorities shouldered their obligations towards this vital sector.
For its part, the General Syndicate of Dentists criticized the signing of administrative agreements and memorandums, noting the continued shortage of equipment and protective supplies within departments and clinics. She called on officials to visit health facilities and assess their needs on the ground, instead of being satisfied with official meetings and procedures.
In a statement on Friday, the union called for the need to adopt solutions that directly affect the services provided to citizens and the working conditions of medical personnel, given that reforming the sector requires addressing the shortcomings in basic capabilities, in addition to improving management and defining responsibilities among the concerned parties.
In an escalation of the movements, the organizers of the movement called on workers in the health sector in Tripoli and its suburbs, the eastern and southern regions, and the Western Mountain to participate in a protest in front of the headquarters of the interim “National Unity” government in the capital, next Monday, to express their professional and human rights demands.
The invitation designated the park adjacent to the Prime Minister’s Office as a place for the gathering, and urged workers in various regions to participate, affirming the unity of their demands and rejecting what the organizers described as “marginalization and neglect.” The demands were not limited to administrative conditions, but extended to salaries, benefits, and health facility needs.
On September 28, the Minister of Health in the “Unity” government, Muhammad Al-Ghouj, acknowledged the legitimacy of the demands of workers in the sector, referring to directives issued by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Al-Dabaiba to address them. The files discussed included salaries, bonuses, settlements, promotions, and health insurance, in accordance with the legal frameworks and available capabilities.
Employee complaints extend beyond the administrative and operational aspects to the living pressures resulting from low wages, as estimates of some doctors’ monthly salaries range between $150 and $200, depending on job grade. These wages are accompanied by complaints of delayed payment of dues and settlement of financial differences, amid the high cost of living.
The anticipated protests and criticisms directed at the administrative memorandum and the doctor’s declared position put the health file before a test, which goes beyond the redistribution of specialties, to the extent of the authorities’ ability to provide supplies, settle dues and improve working conditions, which is reflected in the stability of staff and the continuation of health services in an appropriate manner.
The Libyan authorities have raised the level of alert in anticipation of weather fluctuations, which are expected to affect large areas of the country, starting from Friday until next Wednesday, with chances of rainfall of varying intensity, peaking on Monday and Tuesday, amid warnings of water accumulation and valley flow, at a time when questions are renewed about the efficiency of rainwater drainage networks, after damage caused by recent torrential rains in the capital, Tripoli.
The preparations come after heavy rains fell on Tripoli in the middle of this month, flooding streets, homes, and cars, disrupting traffic, and disrupting services in public and banking facilities. The damage that affected several areas highlighted the ability of drainage networks and infrastructure to absorb the quantities of flowing water, despite recently implemented development projects.
The geological researcher in Libya, Yasmine Al-Ahmar, believes that government alert and urgent measures are necessary to reduce losses and protect citizens, but they alone do not guarantee that the crisis will not be repeated. She told Asharq Al-Awsat that water accumulations and urban floods “remain a possibility when heavy rains over a short period coincide with deficient drainage networks, especially in light of urban expansion that increases surface runoff.” She also pointed out the need to take into account “climate change, and take into account the possibilities of changing precipitation patterns and the intensity of extreme phenomena.”
The alert came as a result of a warning issued by the National Meteorological Center (governmental), regarding a depression centered in southern Italy, which is expected to affect the regions of northern Libya, accompanied by rains of varying intensity, and the possibility of thunder cell activity.
The Libyan News Agency quoted the head of the weather department at the Vision Foundation for Astronomy and its Applications, Rashid Al-Saghir, warning of rainwater accumulating in roads and low-lying areas, and the flow of local valleys, especially in the areas of the Green Mountain and the eastern sides of the Western Mountain towards Gharyan and Tarhuna, with expectations that the low will reach its peak on Monday and Tuesday.
On Friday, the National Safety Authority hastened to raise the level of readiness and equip rescue and evacuation teams and rapid intervention equipment, especially in areas exposed to water accumulation, while strengthening coordination with the competent authorities and municipalities, during the period extending until next Wednesday.
As for the General Company for Water and Sanitation, it confirmed its readiness to deal with the expected rain, noting that a plan has been prepared to distribute field teams, water suction vehicles, sewage equipment and pumps according to priorities. The measures focus on sites that previously witnessed water accumulations, in addition to monitoring the readiness of pumping stations, drainage and sewage networks.
The Minister of State for the Affairs of the Prime Minister of the “National Unity” Government, Muhammad bin Ghalboun, had previously directed, on Thursday, the preparation of water pumps at critical points, the cleaning of streets, the opening of drainage paths, and the raising of the readiness of the emergency teams of the General Electricity Company and the National Safety Authority. The directives also included activating emergency rooms, intensifying coordination between service and security agencies, disseminating safety guidelines, and calling on citizens to avoid going out unless necessary during bad weather conditions.
In turn, the Director of Tripoli Security, Major General Khalil Wahiba, held a meeting on Thursday evening with the security and service authorities, which ended with the formation of a joint committee to inspect valley streams, remove obstacles, monitor dams and water flow paths, and determine responsibilities to ensure a rapid response to any emergency.
For its part, the National Center for Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management called on citizens to stay away from valley streams and flooded roads, and urged the competent authorities to monitor low-lying areas and ensure the readiness of drainage networks, while following official bulletins, and avoiding information issued by unreliable sources.
But Al-Ahmar believes that dealing with floods should not be limited to emergency response, stressing that reducing the problem to the deterioration of drainage networks does not reflect its full dimensions. This is because flood risks “are also linked to urban planning, construction in low-lying areas and waterways, and the decline of open spaces capable of absorbing rainwater.”
Al-Ahmar stressed the need to “develop a government plan that specifies funding, responsibilities, and timetables for maintenance and modernization, in a way that moves dealing with the crisis from responding to every weather event to managing risks before they occur.” It called for conducting a comprehensive hydrological and engineering assessment to identify the areas most vulnerable to inundation, measuring the carrying capacity of networks and monitoring choke points, in parallel with preparing flood risk maps and developing early warning systems. Noting the importance of “taking into account possible changes in rainfall patterns and the severity of extreme phenomena when planning urban planning, with the necessity of relying on specialized scientific studies, before linking any severe rain event to climate change.”
These demands coincide with a judicial move that highlights problems in contracts for the supply of infrastructure supplies. In this context, the Public Prosecution recently announced the provisional detention of ten defendants, including the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Company for Water and Sanitation, the Contract Management Officer and members of the Supply Receipt Committee, pending investigation into four contracts, with a total value of 16.639 million dinars.
The prosecution said that the investigation was based on the results of the Audit Bureau’s examination, which showed a violation of the rules for awarding contracts for the supply of water transport pipes, and the acceptance of materials violating the agreed upon specifications, including the use of stainless materials, instead of stainless steel, and violating the specifications of the country of origin. It also indicated that about 4.459 million dinars were authorized to be disbursed in exchange for supplies in one of the contracts, even though the value of the violating supplied materials did not exceed 1.7 million dinars.
