Libya faces severe shortages of life-saving medicine U.N.

Libya faces severe shortages of life-saving medicine  U.N.

Libya faces severe shortages of life-saving medicine and about one million people will soon be in dire need of help, a U.N. humanitarian official warned, as warring factions hamper efforts to end chaos and form a unity government.

The United Nations humanitarian co-ordinator for Libya, Ali Al-Za’tari, said on Monday (February 22) the country could run out of life-saving medicines within weeks, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of people.

“Our estimation is that by the end of March, Libya may run out of life saving medications which will impact about one million people affected. By that we mean medications for cancers and other types of illnesses like dialysis etcetera. If there is no medication and medicine supplies coming in that will be a real issue for Libya,” Al-Za’tari said.

Al-Za’tari was due to meet Arab League delegates on a visit to Cairo to try and win support for U.N. efforts to ease what he calls a humanitarian crisis in Libya.

His main concern at this point is scarcity of medicine needed to combat diseases like cancer, and the state of hospitals in Libya. The country has descended into anarchy since the uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi five years ago.

Compounding the many problems are about 435,000 internally displaced people living in schools and other public places and some 250,000 migrants and refugees who had hoped to pass through Libya and find a better life abroad.

“The health issue per se, that is numero uno (number one) in our attention, and then comes all that concerns the internally displaced people / migrants and refugees. because these people live in squalid areas, in difficult conditions, in schools and public places,” he said.

“They have been uprooted from their own places of living and origin, they have problems getting jobs, they have problems getting their kids into schools, and you’re not talking about a small number of people, you’re talking about close to half a million people, plus almost half of that, 250,000, migrants and refugees,” Al-Za’tari said.

He added that reliable food supplies were now becoming a severe problem, estimating that 1.3 million Libyans need humanitarian assistance.

“It is a crisis. We see it every day. I mean, if you have reached a point when Libyans who have never felt the need for food are now asking for certain types of food when we are distributing food packages that include the basics which you could find Libyan originated, but elsewhere in the neighbourhood in the region,” Al-Za’tari said.

“I’ve travelled and worked widely in and around Libya, I could tell you that I could see the Libyan products in these countries. Today we are receiving requests from NGOs for food. That is not a good sign, it means that you have a sizeable portion of the community requiring food intake that is stable food intake, not any food intake,” he added

Since 2014, Libya has had two competing governments, one based in Tripoli and the other in the east, both of which are backed by loose alliances of armed brigades and former rebels.

The U.N. plan under which the unity government has been named was designed to help Libya stabilise and tackle a growing threat from Islamic State militants. It has been opposed by hard-liners on both sides from the start and suffered delays.

Instability has taken a heavy toll on healthcare facilities. In Benghazi, for instance, only one or two out of about a dozen hospitals are functioning, said Al-Za’tari.

A few days ago, he was notified that the psychiatric care hospital in Benghazi has no resources. Scores of patients lack proper care.

 

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