Libya tightens controls on medical imports

Libya’s Economy and Trade Ministry has authorised the Health Ministry to use seven international inspection companies to examine medicine and medical equipment shipments before they reach Libyan ports, as reported by Agenzia Nova and agencies on May 18th.

At the centre of the decision is Resolution No. 272 of 2026 dated May 17th, which gives the Health Ministry authority to rely on external inspection companies at ports of origin outside Libya, the stated aim is to strengthen oversight and ensure that imported health products conform to approved specifications and standards.

The accredited companies include SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek, TÜV Rheinland, Cotecna, Dekra and Eurofins Scientific, these are firms specialised in inspection and conformity assessment, and their role will be to improve control over imports linked to the health sector.

The companies must respect a ceiling on inspection fees, be referred by the Health Ministry to the Economy and Trade Ministry and open commercial representative offices inside Libya within 60 days of the decision.

This new rule is part of a wider attempt to bring Libya’s pharmaceutical and medical supply market under stronger institutional supervision after years of weak regulation, fragmented oversight and concerns over the quality and origin of imported products.

The move also follows a memorandum of understanding approved on May 13th between Economy Minister Suhail Abu Shiha and Health Minister Mohamed Al-Ghouj to regulate the health and pharmaceutical sector which included electronic control systems for tracking, transparency and supply chain safety as well as measures against monopolistic practices and price distortions.

Better inspection at the point of export could reduce the risk of substandard medicines and medical equipment entering the country while clearer tracking systems could make it harder for unsafe or overpriced products to circulate through informal channels making an impact on everyday life for some endangered citizens.

The state is not only trying to improve hospitals and services but also to control what enters the medical market before it reaches clinics, pharmacies and patients.

Agenzia Nova plus agencies, maghrebi.org