A call for strengthening the current Libyan national health system by focusing on quality of care: A policy brief

Abstract

AbstractThe Libyan health system is in a dire state, and after security, strengthening the health system is a top national priority. The initial effort should focus on capacity building using the existing healthcare system as a foundation, and not try to design a new health system that is not appropriate for the situation on the ground. Many new health systems that have been successfully designed and implemented in the last two decades, such as in Taiwan, have built on the experiences and best practices from different countries. These however, were already stable countries that possess the requisite cross‐sector infrastructure to build upon. Libya is different: it not only lacks a robust functioning health system, it lacks many of the infrastructure requirements to carry on most other basic functions. Furthermore, unlike many other countries, Libya is unique in that the financing of healthcare in the long run should not be an issue due to the relatively small population size and potential revenue.Efforts should focus on identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the current national health system and see what needs to be changed to align it along a model of patient‐centered quality care. The current main issue appears to be that of governance and management, which should be redesigned and strengthened to achieve the key strategic objectives of quality and patient safety. For Libya to start to do this, it should try to model an existing single‐payer government model to help improve outcomes.