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INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
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RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA PRIORITY 0001
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 5407

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TRIPOLI 000436 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/MAG; STATE FOR ISN/CTR: DA BROWN;  LONDON AND 
PARIS 
FOR NEA WATCHERS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  5/25/2019 
TAGS: PGOV KHIV LY ECON WHO
SUBJECT: LIBYA'S HEALTH MINISTER WELCOMES U.S. COOPERATION TRIPOLI 00000436 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: Gene Cretz, Ambassador, U.S. Embassy Tripoli, U.S. Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)

¶1. (C) Summary: In a recent meeting with the Ambassador, the Secretary of the General People's Committee for Health and Environment (Minister of Health-equivalent) asked for help in sending Libyan doctors to the U.S. for training in hospital administration and family practice, acknowledged that Libya needs to improve its healthcare system from top (hospitals) to bottom (primary health care) and conceded that positive change will be difficult given persistent structural issues, such as poor pay and working conditions, in Libya's state-run healthcare system. He was unaware of the proposed Regional Nuclear Medicine Center (RNMC), a joint U.S.-Libya project to create a state-of-the-art center for treating cancer patients with nuclear medicine. The Ambassador recommended that the Secretary consult with his colleagues at the Libyan Atomic Energy Establishment, who have communicated extensively with U.S. experts on the project. End summary.

A WELCOME (BACK) TO THE AMERICANS

¶2. (C) On Monday May 25, the Ambassador met for the first time with Mahmoud Mohamed al-Hijazi, Secretary (Minister-equivalent) of the General People's Committee for Health and Environment. Al-Hijazi welcomed the visit, commenting he had not heard from the Americans since the visit a few years ago of a delegation from the State Department and Health and Human Services (HHS). He also noted Libya had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Texas, focusing on cancer. He also stressed that due to the important role the Libyan government in ensuring overall health policy and supervision, any cooperative activities in health would need to be negotiated government-to-government and not between the private and public sectors. Libya has a five-year plan to improve the health sector. It includes: 1) training family doctors to improve primary healthcare, and; 2) rationalizing (and possibly decreasing) the number of primary health care centers (there are 1400) based on the number actually needed.

WHAT AILS LIBYANS?

¶3. (C ) Al-Hijazi explained the major health problems in Libya were chronic diseases (particularly hypertension and diabetes), infectious diseases, cancer and smoking and traffic accidents. He admitted many Libyans go abroad to venues like Tunisia and Europe in search of better healthcare. Al-Hijazi said the Libyan private healthcare was also an option, but that the quality of care was uneven. He noted his ministry was in the process of evaluating the level of care in these private centers and that some of the 67 private clinics and 1,500 private pharmacies might be shut down if they continued to provide sub-standard care.

UNAWARE OF REGIONAL NUCLEAR MEDICINE CENTER PROPOSAL?

¶4. (C ) Al-Hijazi and his staff had no knowledge of the proposed Regional Nuclear Medicine Center (RNMC), a proposed joint U.S.-Libya project to create a state-of-the-art center for treating cancers with nuclear medicine. (Note: The strategic plan for the center was submitted to the Libyans in late 2008 by a visiting delegation from State's ISN Bureau, but has still not been formally approved by the Libyan side. Health professionals told Emboffs the proposal is fine from a technical standpoint; however, it is currently being held up due to a lack of political approval. End note). The Ambassador suggested that al-Hijazi contact Dr. Ali Gashut, Director of the Libyan Atomic Energy Establishment, for an update on the proposed center.

TRAINING FOR DOCTORS NEEDED, ESPECIALLY IN ADMINISTRATION AND FAMILY PRACTICE

¶5. (C ) When asked how the United States could help in Libyan healthcare, al-Hijazi said Libya had 220 medical university graduates in need of more specialized training, especially to become hospital administrators. Others needed further training in family practice. Al-Hijazi admitted he was more used to dealing with European countries and so, had not initially thought of the United States as a possible training venue. But after Saif al-Islam al-Qadhafi, a son of Muammar al-Qadhafi, suggested he send Libyan doctors to the U.S., al-Hijazi said he was now considering the U.S., along with Egypt and Jordan.

HEALTH INSURANCE: U.K. IS A GOOD MODEL FOR LIBYA

¶6. (C) There is a push to develop a system of health insurance TRIPOLI 00000436 002.2 OF 002 in Libya and al-Hijazi said a new law would be presented "soon" in this regard. He said all Libyans would have to enroll in the new system, which would be governed by a fund or company. After studying health insurance systems in many countries, including the U.S., Canada and France, al-Hijazi decided to model Libya's system after that of the United Kingdom, which he said fit best with Libya's needs.

A SMALL WORLD: AL-HIJAZI HEARD PRESIDENT OBAMA'S DOCTOR IS LIBYAN

¶7. (C) Al-Hijazi added that Libya is reaching out to Libyan doctors living and working overseas to recruit them to come back to Libya. While many of them are now established in the U.S. and elsewhere, he said they would be welcomed home, even for short-term stints. He said he had even heard that a member of President Obama's medical team was Libyan. The Ambassador told him the Embassy could facilitate contact with associations of healthcare professionals, including Arab American medical associations. Al-Hijazi promised to designate a member of his staff to act as point of contact for following up on the request for training for doctors in the U.S. as well as linking the ministry to doctors of Libyan and Arab descent who might be able to return to Libya.

¶8. (C) Comment: Today's meeting was a useful opportunity to renew ties and explore future cooperation with the GPC for Health, especially given the Science and Technology Agreement signed with Libya last year. Al-Hijazi's main message was that he needed help in training doctors, particularly in hospital administration and family practice. Improving Libya's healthcare will not be an easy task, however, as serious structural problems remain. A real-world example of this is that among our locally-engaged staff at post, there are at least three trained doctors and dentists who have foregone working in their fields due to better pay and work conditions. End comment. CRETZ