France Donates €400 000 to Save Lives, Prevent Disease in Libya [EN/AR]
18 March 2019—World Health Organization (WHO) received a €400 000 contribution from the Government of France to intensify its health emergency response activities in the south of Libya. Dr. Syed Jaffar Hussain, WHO Representative, accepted the donation on behalf of WHO Libya at a ceremony in Tripoli.
"Many Libyans, as well as migrants entering Libya from the south, continue to suffer from the country’s ongoing conflict and are in need of emergency health services," says Dr. Hussain. "The generous support of France will enable WHO to intensify its current response and save more lives.”
WHO has been present in the south of Libya for the last three years and has led the health sector’s response to health emergencies in the country. France’s €400 000 donation will support the procurement and distribution of trauma kits, emergency medical supplies and essential drugs for the management of infectious diseases in southern Libya. France’s contribution will also equip public health laboratories and disease surveillance and rapid response systems with supplementary capacity building training and the equipment required to prevent outbreaks.
“Libya’s general health system has crumbled as the country’s 8-year conflict drags on,” says Dr. Hussain. “By strengthening the disease surveillance and rapid response system in Libya, we can prevent the sudden spread of infectious diseases”.