The Director of the National Cancer Institute in Misrata, Mohamed Al-Faqih said that “there is no common database between the various health centers for cancer patients in Libya that can be relied upon, to know the exact number of patients.”
In press statements, Al-Faqih explained that each center has its own statistics, and therefore the Ministry of Health is to blame for not setting up a national database. He noted that the institute in Misrata transfers quarterly and semi-annual statistics to the concerned authorities, and these indicators are not taken into account.
Al-Faqih revealed that the total number of oncology patients in Libya does not exceed 25,000 cases, including 5,000 pediatric cases. He added that the combined budget of the oncology centers does not exceed 40 million dinars.
The official noted that between $150 million to $200 million dollars are transferred every quarter to the cases present at the King Hussein Cancer Center in Jordan, as debts. He pointed out that these figures are evidence of the low level of interest in oncology patients in the country.
Earlier in September, the Minister of Health in the Libyan Parliament-designated government, Othman Abdel-Jalil sent 61 children suffering from cancer for urgent medical treatment in Jordan.
The decision came after the minister visited the Benghazi Teaching Hospital for Pediatric Medicine and Surgery. He was briefed on the deteriorating health conditions of the patients targeted for dispatch. He listened to the opinions and advice of specialized doctors supervising their follow-up treatment.
The statement added that the treatment and surgeries will take place at the King Hussein Cancer Center, as it was not possible to provide the treatment in Libya. It stressed that the value of the debts owed to the center will be paid according to the agreement concluded with the hospital.