The Ministry of Health and the Primary Health Care Institution oversee public services, while the National Centre for Disease Control supports disease surveillance. Public PHCCs are the usual starting point for non-acute complaints, routine vaccinations, health checks, simple tests, treatment, health advice and maternal or child care. A PHCC can refer a patient to a hospital or specialist centre, but distance, security, staffing, bed availability, medicine stocks and fees can make referrals difficult in practice. Confirm opening hours, available services and medicine stocks before making a long journey, especially in southern, eastern or remote areas. For life-threatening illness or injury, go to the nearest public hospital emergency department or contact the Emergency Medicine and Support Centre on 1412. Additional ambulance contacts include 191, 0921910191 and 0931911191. Coverage and response times differ locally, and no reliable nationwide response-time standard is verified. A trusted companion can help with communication, transport and administration during a referral or emergency. Prevention remains a major health need. Libya's national vaccination schedule is delivered through local services, but opening arrangements, vaccine stocks and records should be confirmed locally. In 2024, surveillance recorded 860 suspected measles or rubella cases, including 207 confirmed measles cases and 60 confirmed rubella cases, with clusters reported in places including Tobruk, Albayda, Sabha and Benghazi. Polio has been eliminated since 1991, but importation and circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 remain risks. Water, sanitation and health-system gaps also increase the risk of cholera and acute watery diarrhoea, particularly during population movements. Chronic conditions require advance planning. Ischaemic heart disease and stroke have been the leading reported causes of death since 2009, while diabetes and high blood pressure are increasingly significant. Shortages of antibiotics, insulin and blood-pressure medicines have been documented. Keep medical records, prescriptions and a medication list, check refill availability before travel, and arrange follow-up through the PHCC or referral hospital named in the discharge plan. A complete nationwide system for health records, medicine stocks and facility needs has not been verified. Maternal and newborn care is available through public and private providers, but emergency obstetric access can be difficult, particularly in the south and for migrants because of staff shortages, medicine shortages, distance and practical or legal barriers. Available data report at least four antenatal visits for 66% of pregnancies and skilled birth attendance for 100%; national data for a postnatal check within two days were unavailable. Mental-health care is being developed under the National Mental Health Strategy 2024–2030, formally endorsed by the Ministry of Health in January 2025. Psychiatric centres, PHCCs and humanitarian teams provide some support, but facilities, trained staff, medicines, affordability and long-term follow-up remain limited, especially in the south. Citizens, internally displaced people, refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants can generally use national health services, yet access is uneven and discrimination or stigma has been reported. Public PHCC services are generally free for refugees and asylum-seekers, while public secondary and tertiary care usually involves fees; current citizen tariff details are not sufficiently verified. Private care and rehabilitation are usually more expensive, and quality varies by region. UNHCR's Tawasul line at 1504 can provide access guidance for refugees and migrants, but it is not a routine medical provider. UNHCR and partner referrals, mobile teams and fixed services do not cover every location, and access in detention or disembarkation settings may be restricted. Recent facility assessments found that 8% of facilities serving refugee-affected areas were non-functional and 84% were only partially functional; in areas affected by Storm Daniel in the east, 84% were partially functional or non-functional. National figures combine data from different years, and regional differences should be checked before relying on a national average. The 2024–2025 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey covered 17,880 households with a 99% response rate and provides nationally representative indicators across Libya's 22 regions.
Health in Libya
Libya has a formal national health system, but services and facility capacity vary sharply by region. Public primary health care centres (PHCCs) handle first-contact care, vaccination, screening, basic diagnosis and treatment; hospitals and private clinics provide further care. Emergency access, chronic medicines, maternal care, mental-health support and follow-up depend on location, security, facility function, fees and available staff or supplies.
Tip
Use a public primary health care centre for non-acute treatment, prevention and referrals, and use a hospital emergency department or emergency contact for life-threatening problems. The safest plan in Libya combines local confirmation before travel, written medical information, enough time for referrals and a reserve plan for medicines or follow-up. Do not assume that services, fees or supplies are the same across regions.