Libya’s plan to hire 200 Syrian medical workers backfires

A proposed plan to recruit medical and nursing staff from Syria has sparked debate in Libya, with doctors and professional bodies calling for greater priority to be given to local health workers, as reported by Libya Review on September 7th. 

Documents circulating in Libya show that the Health Ministry of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity has authorised a private company to complete procedures for recruiting approximately 200 Syrian medical workers. The group includes 75 doctors and 125 nurses to work in specialties including anesthesia, general surgery, urology, kidney diseases, burns and others. 

The proposal has drawn criticism from Libyan medical professionals, who have pointed out salary shortages, employment opportunities and professional development for local graduates. Thousands of Libyan graduates are reportedly waiting to be included in government employment lists, which is raising questions surrounding the need to recruit foreign workers during times of financial pressures in the local health sector. 

Doctor Aseel Al-Taobni said that the objections were not aimed at the Syrian doctors and nurses involved but what he has described as the neglect of Libyan medical workers, many of these professionals complete years of medical education before facing limited employment opportunities. 

Libya’s Health Ministry, however, has denied that salaries had been approved or that a final contract has been signed with any foreign country. It stated that authorities were currently assessing staffing needs and comparing the currently available options. Any future agreement, it added, would be publicly announced with details of its conditions and costs. 

The ministry said severe shortages had affected hospitals in Tripoli, with some departments and intensive care units operating below capacity or remaining closed due to an insufficient number of nurses. It additionally cited shortages of doctors in remote areas. 

The ministry emphasized that any recruitment of foreign medical workers in Libya would be temporary and aimed at filling gaps as opposed to directly replacing local professionals. 

The Libyan General Dental Association called for clarification, saying it did not oppose foreign expertise when necessary but rejected any arrangement that came at the expense of national medical staff.

Libya Review, Maghrebi.org.