Partnership to improve medical education and health capacity
LIBYA – The Undersecretary-General of the Libyan Government’s Ministry of Health, Dr Abdulsalam Aqeela, and the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr Al-Mahdi Shuaib Al-Saiti, have discussed developing medical education, regulating the work of medical faculties at universities supervised by the Higher Education Ministry and strengthening coordination between academic and health institutions in line with labour-market needs, at a meeting at the Health Ministry’s headquarters in Benghazi.
Teaching staff and clinical doctors
According to the Health Ministry’s media office, the meeting addressed the situation of teaching staff and clinical doctors, the challenges arising from the division of their work between the two ministries, and shortages of medical and teaching staff at teaching hospitals and medical faculties. Ways to strengthen clinical doctors’ role in training and education were also discussed.
The two sides examined medical faculties’ specialisations and how far they match labour-market needs, as well as aligning the number and specialisations of graduates with the requirements of health institutions, helping identify future workforce needs.
Continuing training and private universities
The meeting covered the development of medical education programmes, clinical training, continuing medical education and professional development centres. Aqeela stressed the need for the Health Ministry to play a greater role in training health professionals, in coordination with the Libyan Board of Medical Specialties and the relevant authorities, according to the requirements of health institutions and their technical and operational levels.
Participants reviewed the Higher Education Ministry’s efforts to regulate private universities under its rules and standards, which would strengthen the organisation of clinical training at public hospitals in line with Health Ministry requirements and improve the quality of practical training.
Stability, reconstruction projects and Vision 2030
The two sides discussed what they described as a stable security environment provided by the General Command for health and educational institutions, as well as the efforts of the Development and Reconstruction Fund of Libya and the National Development Agency to develop facilities and infrastructure and secure medical equipment.
According to the government, the meeting falls within the General Command’s Vision 2030 and the Libyan Government’s policy of developing the health sector in step with reconstruction, improving integration between the health and higher education ministries and preparing a national workforce that meets hospitals’ needs and raises the quality of services for citizens.
