The Tripoli University Hospital received 26 adult dialysis machines and a paediatric dialysis unit. This was confirmed by the Head of the dialysis department at the hospital, Abdel Moneim Al Shaafi. The units were supplied by the American company Baxter.
Al Shaafi added that this step aims to modernise the department’s equipment, in coordination with the hospital, the medical supply system, and the Kidney Committee of the Ministry of Health.
Al-Shaafi explained that the units will replace the devices used in the department, which opened in 2019. He noted that the training of hemodialysis technicians will begin next January.
According to the statement, the department provides its services to patients since its opening in two shifts, morning and evening. It is run by doctors and dialysis technicians who are known for their efficiency, and directly contributed to easing the burden on dialysis centers in Tripoli.
Notably, a decade of conflict left Libya’s health system on the verge of collapse. But a new peace deal has provided a ray of hope. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is helping to repair damaged medical centres, providing much-needed healthcare facilities to thousands of Libyans.
Access to basic services in Libya has suffered over the last ten years. The conflict, which started following an uprising in 2011, has left an estimated 1.3 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
One of the worst-hit sectors is healthcare. Libya’s health system was struggling even before the pandemic, and COVID-19 only exacerbated the situation. Hospitals and clinics have been destroyed by the fighting. Water and electricity shortages in medical centres are common, reducing the quality of care. The system continues to be under-resourced.
When the pandemic reached Libya in 2020, Libyans were in the middle of an active conflict. However, a ceasefire agreement in October 2020 paved the way for a peace settlement.