Dispute in Libya Over Plans to Hire 200 Syrian Medical Workers

A proposed plan to recruit medical and nursing staff from Syria has sparked debate in Libya, with doctors and professional bodies calling for greater priority to be given to local health workers. Documents circulating in Libya show that the Health Ministry of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity authorised a private company to complete procedures for recruiting around 200 Syrian medical workers. The proposed group includes 75 doctors and 125 nurses to work in specialties including anaesthesia, general surgery, urology, kidney diseases, burns, obstetrics and gynaecology, and paediatric surgery. The proposal has drawn criticism from Libyan medical professionals, who point to shortages in salaries, employment opportunities and professional development for local graduates. Thousands of Libyan graduates are reportedly waiting to be included in government employment lists, raising questions over the need to recruit foreign workers amid financial pressures facing the health sector. Doctor Aseel Al-Taobni said the objections were not directed at Syrian doctors and nurses but at what he described as the neglect of Libyan medical workers, many of whom complete years of medical education before facing limited employment and training opportunities. The Health Ministry, however, denied that salaries had been approved or that a final contract had been signed with any foreign country. It said the authorities were currently assessing staffing needs and comparing available options. Any future agreement, it added, would be publicly announced with details of its conditions and costs. The ministry said severe shortages, particularly among nursing staff, had affected hospitals in Tripoli, with some departments and intensive care units operating below capacity or remaining closed because of insufficient nurses. It also cited shortages of doctors in remote areas. The ministry stressed that any recruitment of foreign medical workers would be temporary and aimed at filling specific gaps rather than replacing Libyan professionals. The Libyan General Dental Association called for clarification, saying it did not oppose foreign expertise when necessary but rejected any arrangement that came at the expense of national medical staff or their legitimate demands. Tags: healthlibyaMedical WorkerssyriaSyrian Doctors