BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES
In 2022, IOM Libya used qualitative and quantitative tools to assess the health-seeking behaviour of migrants in the east, west and south of Libya as well as to understand the barriers they face in accessing healthcare.
IOM Libya interviewed 394 migrants and conducted focus group discussions with 93 migrants to better understand their experiences and knowledge of healthcare in Libya, as well as the barriers they face in accessing services. In addition, IOM Libya interviewed 164 healthcare practitioners and administrators to get their views related to migrants’ health.
The evidence produced through this survey will guide IOM and partners working on migrant health as well as the Ministry of Health (MoH) in the design and implementation of policies and strategies to ensure universal health coverage.
Structure
This report is divided into two sections. The first part details migrants’ experiences of the healthcare system in Libya as well as their health-seeking behaviour and is based on the knowledge derived from individual surveys and focus group discussions with migrants as well as key informant interviews with healthcare workers. The second part is an assessment of the epidemiology of diseases (e.g. communicable and noncommunicable diseases, bloodborne diseases, maternal, child and mental health) based on key informant interviews with healthcare specialists.
Limitations
Migrants’ feedback on the quality of healthcare obtained should be interpreted carefully since it may conflate technical abilities with adequate interpersonal skills, such as communication, the ability to maintain confidentiality and patient’s dignity, for example, and may be more closely related to aspects such as “physical comfort and emotional support as well as respect for patient preferences”. However, the use of key informant interviews who are healthcare professionals was a means to complement and contextualise findings derived from interviews and focus group discussions conducted with migrants on their assessment of healthcare services in Libya.
Results should also be interpreted cautiously given the struggling state of the Libyan public healthcare system, already impacted by a decade of conflict, and a lack of approved national health policy and strategy. Moreover, migrants were interviewed regardless of their legal status. However, it should be noted that those in irregular situation may be unable or unwilling to access healthcare in Libya to a greater extent than those who possess legal documents because they fear or risk detention or penalties