ReliefWeb

The decline in the health conditions of the children infected with HIV/AIDS in Libya

By Dr Faraj Atbaiga

The AIDS issue in Libya, emerged into the open in the early 1999; When the Libyan government stopped a number of Bulgarians working in the health sector on suspicion of involvement in infecting hundreds of Libyan children with AIDS.

During the eight years of the age of the case; more than fifty children infected have died of the disease. Also a Palestinian doctor and five Bulgarian nurses have been sentenced to death after being convicted of infecting the children with the deadly virus.

At the time were we await the reinvestigation in this great crime against the children of Libya; and continue to provide them with assistance and implement the agreement signed with the European Union in the era of the former regime. Especially with regard to disbursing medical insurance cards for them and facilitate visa procedures and accommodation in the European Union.

We have noticed that the EU have forgotten their commitments; and abandonment in applying the institutes referred to. As a result, the current general conditions of the Libyan state, as noted by Alrassed International, the dramatically increasing number of deaths among those patients as a result of lack of medicines, as known most of their medication and prescriptions has increased in price and therefore cannot be purchased by the patients,

Especially in light of the lack of liquidity of public finances of the government. We also observed deficiencies in equipment and medical solutions for their illness, not to mention most of the hospitals refused to receive these patients for fear of infection; resulting in failure to provide crucial medical care necessary for them, especially since all of them have concomitant diseases that require immediate assistance.

We've monitored some deaths among the patients, despite the lack of official sources,

• Hajer Akhalif – 13 September 2015
• Naji Alwershefani – 15 November 2015
• Zakaria Ayash – 13 November 2015
• Amina Abdullah Almagrabi – 2 February 2016
• Muhammed el-jarushe - 23 September 2016
• Amira Alsaite - 2 October 2016

With the presence of two cases in the intensive care unit during the month of October 2016.