The United Nations said that the armed conflict, instability, and the coronavirus pandemic in Libya have increased pressure on maternal and reproductive health services.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) confirmed that it is experiencing difficulty in delivering services in remote areas such as Ghat city in the south.
Since 2018, the UNFPA has deployed mobile health units across the country, providing primary maternal and child health services, including elementary and comprehensive obstetric and newborn care, family planning, case management, general consultations, and first aid, according to the UN organization.
It quoted the Deputy Head of mobile medical convoys at the Ministry of Health, Fathi Aburas, as saying that the Libyan health system relied heavily on foreign health workers in the past to ensure access to health services, but, political instability and the fragile security situation caused a great scarcity in the workforce.
The UNFPA representative in Libya, Aser Toson, confirmed that in 2021, more than 10 thousand people had benefitted from their services. However, he noted that more than 1.3 million people out of the total population of 6.9 million still need primary health care, explaining that many health facilities are not functioning or lack supplies or human resources.