On Wednesday, Libya’s Syndicate of Doctors expressed its concern about the “tragic” conditions which medical personnel are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Syndicate said in a statement that it had received a written complaint from a doctor, claiming she was forced to work at the hospital’s A&E department, despite showing symptoms of the virus.
The doctor said she found it very difficult to even undergo a test, and said that the results would take 72 hours. “I was asked to continue my work during those three days, until the result showed I tested positive,” she said. The doctor believes she may have contracted the virus from either a patient, or a colleague working in the isolation centre.
Libya has more than 22,000 confirmed cases, and 2,000 recoveries. Figures have nearly quadrupled, from a few thousand last month, to around 20,000 active cases at this time.
Stephanie Williams, the UN’s Acting Envoy told the Security Council that the real number of cases in Libya is almost certainly far higher, and that the healthcare system is “unable to respond.”