ISSUE 4 AUG / SEP 2013 BUSINESS EYE www.libyaherald.com PRICE: 5 LD Focus on HEALTHCARE Interview with Ministers Health - Transport Trade & Investment Energy & Aviation EDITORIAL ISSUE 4 AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2013 BUSINESS EYE www.libyaherald.com TECHNOLOGY & SAFETY SOLUTIONS From the Editor CONTENTS Healthcare is a budgetary headache for almost every country in the 02 Focus: Healthcare world. But for Libya it is far worse. While places such as the UK or 02 Interview: Health Minister France or Canada have to contend with constantly growing health- care costs, an ageing population and massive demand for services, Libyan Swiss Medical Centre 09 there is an effective, working system in place. In Libya for 42 years, 10 St James Hospital Libya the health service which had started to blossom during the last years 11 Belgium healthcare of the monarchy was destroyed by the deadly combination of cor- ruption, neglect, mindless bureaucracy, de-skilling and an ideological 12 Dutch healthcare determination to ensure that nobody was allowed any responsibility 13 Medical tourism — just in case they used it. 14 Libya-Canada health cooperation 16 Energy Libya is having to build a healthcare system from scratch. Security is, of course, the immediate challenge for the government and Congress, 18 Electricity but a service that delivers quality healthcare locally (not just in Tripoli 20 Economy and Finance or Benghazi) is one of the primary demands of the Libyan people. The 20 Interview: Libyan Foreign Bank authorities know they have to deliver. But building a system from the ground up is going to cost billions of dinars. 22 Interview: Gumhouria Bank 23 Transport Everything is needed - training, skills, staff and buildings (new and re- 23 Interview: Transport Minister furbished) and at different levels: polyclinics, general hospitals, spe- cialised treatment centres, laboratories. 26 Construction Technology Safety 30 Trade & Investment Libya is blessed with a large number of doctors and specialists, al- 32 Interview: Tunisian ambassador though many are outside the country. Inevitably, to create a health- care service as quickly as possible, the Ministry of Health feels it has Advanced technology solutions to help your business to Help protect your staff, buildings and vehicles from attack to look abroad, to hospital groups and health service contractors, to grow and develop. Including computer networks and and theft. Partnered with the world’s leaders, AlMutmaina both build new facilities and refurbish old ones, and also to manage enterprise resource planning systems and are built on provides only the highest standard and quality products, EDITOR: many of them, at least in the short term. some of the world’s leading solutions from companies tested to the most stringent international standards to Michel Cousins including Cisco and Microsoft. ensure your absolute safety and satisfaction. [email protected] Major opportunities also exist for the private sector. Large numbers of +218 (0)91 770 3242 Libyans today travel to Tunisia, Turkey and elsewhere as medical tour- MAIN ACTIVITIES ists, willing to pay for the treatment they need rather than be cared MANAGING EDITOR: for in Libyan hospitals and clinics, which they do not trust. But if there Sami Zaptia were sufficient quality facilities in the country they would use them. [email protected] They would naturally prefer to be treated at home. That is why, with +218 (0)91 212 1272 new private hospitals and clinics being planned and built, it can be safely said they will succeed. BUSINESS EDITOR: Nigel Ash While we look at the health of the health service, we also look at how the rest of the economy is faring. Despite the security situation and [email protected] international news reports which undoubtedly cause some foreign businesses to think twice about working in Libya, the economy con- CHIEF REPORTER: tinues to grow strongly, perhaps proving that if businessmen were Ashraf Abdul Wahab left alone to get on with the job, the country’s economic renaissance [email protected] would be even swifter. SOCIAL MEDIA: Nihal Zaroug [email protected] SALES AND MARKETING: Yolanda Zaptia [email protected] CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Michel Cousins Imad Ali Khan Editor-in-Chief [email protected] © The Libya Herald The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Libya Herald. Hay Demashque, Al-Hadba Al-Khadra, PO Box 83510, Tripoli, Libya Cover photo; Ambulance in Tripoli (Photo by Aimen Eljali) Fax: + 218 (0) 21 491 0464 August / September 2013 Business Eye 1 FOCUS HEALTHCARE FOCUS HEALTHCARE Laying the foundations for the are only obliged to start paying for them six tract and, in the absence of a clear announce- months after we receive the keys, and the ment, wondered if the contract had been “Having international payment is spread over 10-14 years”, the “tendered” or “awarded”. new Libya health service Minister said, pausing to underscore the vir- companies managing new tue of the deal. “There should be confidence in ministers hospitals, this would create – you either trust them or you don’t”, Dugh- a very positive Libya Herald interview Health Minister Nureddin Dughman Health Minister Dughman pointed out that man responded to the implied possibility of “220 companies tendered for these projects, the presence of corruption in the process. work environment” but most had offered to build prefabricat- “Corruption is not my job. It is up to the su- One of the most challenging sectors to reform for the new politicians of ed-type constructions, and they all wanted pervisory bodies to investigate that. I cannot Libya to finance the projects. This IHG pro- stop disbursing money from my budgets be- Libya is its dilapidated health sector. Health touches everybody’s lives ject has since attracted the financial sup- cause I am worried that some of it might be port of the US, Korean, German and Italian misspent. I will never be able to achieve any- This, he hopes, will reduce the need to send and it is an emotive subject for Libyans as millions of them have been governments.” thing in that case”, the Minister emphasised. so many students abroad. His view is that “experienced doctors and consultants should forced over the last few decades to spend their own money seeking better Building vs operating be sent abroad for shorter refresher courses”. Defending the IHG option the Minister en- He also questioned the system of nominating healthcare in neighbouring countries. Libyans wait urgently for signs of gaged in some verbal arithmetic. “Twelve medical students for overseas study. progress in the sector. hospitals for about LD 2 billion - I think this is a very good deal”, he claimed. He quoted a recent example of 300 Libyan By Sami Zaptia students being sent abroad, with only two “Another international hospital services com- being able to obtain posts at overseas hos- pany offered to operate the Tobruk hospital pitals. Not all Libyan medical students sent “The Libyan state is not formed yet and there- “Over the decades, as a result of the poor Working with international partners for about $ 40 (LD 50) million per year – that abroad were benefiting from the training, fore we are starting from the beginning and health service under Qaddafi, Libyans devel- Minister Dughman says he is aware that he is just to operate. If you multiply that by 12 the Minister said. However, he also pointed hopefully we are starting in the right way”, hospitals across Libya for 5 years, it will cost oped a culture of seeking health treatment is part of an interim government until Libya out that a number of friendly nations had re- says Health Minister Nureddin Dughman. LD 3 billion. When you compare it to the abroad”, Minister Dughman explained, re- drafts its constitution and holds elections. served a fixed number of places for Libyans “The existing hospitals and health facilities IHG deal, it makes the IHG offer a better deal ferring to the huge number of fellow citizens He understands that in his short stint, his so that they did have to compete with others need urgent solutions and renovations – who prefer to get their healthcare overseas, role is to prepare the foundation for future in my opinion”, proclaimed the Minister. that is what we are doing”, he stresses when for them. most often in Tunisia or Jordan. However, governments to build upon. asked about the state of the Libyan health- Minister Dughman was comfortable and the Minister felt that “not all medical cases care system. keen to work with international partners. He Health Insurance should be treated abroad”. “A few months ago we signed an agreement said that he was still seeking international with the EU to establish a Health Service The Minister was unsure about the market support and cooperation for dialysis, haema- “There has been much work done in the back- System. This will be a four-year programme. for health insurance in Libya. “It is a good tology and physical rehabilitation units. He ground on maintenance and renovation There will be a workshop held for the medi- idea”, he said but wondered if it would “fit hoped some more international companies which is not easily seen. We are also building cal sector to discuss the various contending in with the Libyan reality”. Libyans, like would come forward with proposals. health centres where none existed before. approaches and hopefully come out with himself, believed that, with its oil wealth, This all contributes to the improvement of what will best work for Libya. This will in- Libya should be able to provide a top qual- Attracting Libyan medical diaspora basic healthcare in Libya”, he explains, de- clude topics such as medical ethics, training ity health service, free for all. “I believe in a Tripoli Medical Centre fending his ministry’s performance.