United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) mobile health units are providing timely assistance and saving lives in Libya
The units consist of a medical team leader, two specialised obstetricians/gynaecologists, two paediatricians, an anaesthesiologist, a general doctor and two midwives who work on a two-month rotation basis at various health facilities.
Armed conflict, protracted instability and the COVID-19 pandemic have increased pressure on maternal and reproductive health services – already in short supply – disproportionately impacting the lives of women and girls. In remote areas like Ghat, in the western part of the country near the Algerian border, services are even harder to access.
These teams provide essential maternal and newborn health services including basic and comprehensive obstetric and newborn care, family planning and medical case management for gender-based violence survivors, as well as general consultation and first aid.
“Our health system has relied heavily on foreign health workers in the past to ensure accessibility of health services including sexual and reproductive health,” said Fathi Abouras, deputy head of mobile medical convoys at the Ministry of Health. “However, political instability and the fragile security situation has caused a major dearth of manpower. UNFPA has provided tremendous support for expanding health coverage.”
“In 2021, over 10,000 people were reached through our health services. Still, more than 1.3 million people out of a total population of 6.9 million lack access to basic health care. A large proportion of health facilities are not functional or lack supplies or human resources. We need to scale up our efforts before the situation deteriorates further,” said Asr Toson, UNFPA’s representative in Libya.
