The Libyan General Medical Council (LGMC) submitted an official complaint to the Attorney General, against the Ministers of Health and Finance of the Government of National Unity (GNU).
The LGMC said in a statement on Sunday, that the complaint came due to “the failure of the two ministers to implement the decision to pay their arrears and increase their salaries, similar to other sectors.”
The Council added that the GNU had delayed implementing the decision of the former Government of National Accord (GNA) issued in 2019, regarding increasing the salaries of medical and paramedical personnel.
It called on the Attorney General to intervene urgently before “the collapse of the health sector due to doctors’ reluctance to work and their emigration outside the country.”
Last week, the Council said that the Ministry of Health was giving “fake promises,” calling for a reconsideration of the rights of doctors that have been delayed for years. The LGMC also demanded raising the level of medicine and nursing in the country, noting that they “work in difficult conditions and suffer from poor capabilities.”
The LGMC confirmed that the doctors had filed a complaint with the Libyan Parliament, and that they would file another with the Attorney General. They held the Ministers of Health and Finance, holding them responsible for neglecting the rights of doctors.
The Council demanded the assignment of a full-time figure to “run the tasks of the Ministry of Health, and the activation of the bonus law according to the unified salary scale.” They also demanded the “provision of job opportunities for doctors within health facilities, and the activation of the dispatch program for doctors and rare specialities.”
In April, protesters amassed in front of the Prime Minister’s office in Tripoli, including medical and paramedical personnel. They expressed their rejection of the unified salary scale.
They warned that if their demands are not met, “there will be negative consequences that will directly affect the sector and the people, including mass resignations, and voluntary retirements.”
