Libya signs WHO framework to rebuild health services

Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU)Health Ministry  signed a 2026-2027 strategic cooperation framework with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Tripoli on May 5th, as reported by Xinhua.

The agreement is based on a technical partnership roadmap aimed at strengthening Libya’s health system after years in which conflict, institutional fragmentation and weak public services have left the sector under sustained pressure.

The signing was attended by Health Minister Mohammed Al-Ghouj, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Hanan Balkhy and WHO Country Representative in Libya Ahmed Zouiten, alongside technical teams from both sides.

According to the report, the framework focuses on improving primary healthcare services, supporting clinics and hospitals, increasing operational efficiency and developing referral and emergency response systems.

This agreement places the focus on the basic architecture of healthcare delivery, local clinics, hospital capacity, patient movement between facilities and the ability of the system to respond when pressure increases.

In Libya, the health sector remains one of the clearest indicators of state weakness as public hospitals and clinics have struggled with equipment shortages, uneven staffing, administrative disruption and the broader consequences of years of armed conflict.

The GNU will likely present the framework as part of a wider effort to restore service delivery and show that technical cooperation with international organisations can still produce practical outcomes despite the country’s political divisions.

For the WHO, the agreement provides a structured channel to support Libya through planning, technical advice and institutional capacity-building rather than isolated emergency interventions alone.

Libya’s health problems are not only about immediate shortages, but also about the absence of stable systems able to organise referrals, maintain standards and distribute services across fragmented territory.

Health system reform is becoming another test of whether internationally backed technical frameworks can translate into functioning services for ordinary Libyans.

Xinhua plus agencies, maghrebi.org