Libya Medicine Crisis in Numbers

The article addresses the medication shortage crisis in Libya and its impact on the healthcare sector, highlighting the deteriorating health condition of patients due to the unavailability of specialized medicines in a timely manner. Data indicate that the state spent approximately 11.82 billion dinars between 2022 and 2025 on importing medicines, yet this has not translated into the required treatment availability. There are expired medicines from several years ago and no clear mechanisms for their disposal. Factors such as the fragmentation of procurement processes across more than 25 entities, weak negotiation, and administrative overlap hinder the rapid and effective delivery of medications. Issues also include shortages of essential supplies for surgical procedures and the impairment of patients’ ability to access necessary treatment, which threatens patients’ lives and leads to postponed or canceled operations. Official measures are heading toward standardizing medicine procurement procedures and improving inventory management, but the implementation of these steps remains ineffective. This underscores the need for further reforms to ensure medicines are available in a timely manner and to reduce waste.