[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”!!! PLEASE DO NOT EDIT !!!” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”!!! PLEASE DO NOT EDIT !!!” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.19.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”TO BE EDITED – SUMMARY – Click on the WHEEL icon to open the textarea where you can paste or type your summary. The summary condenses the main points for the news that starts below. The summary is in bold and not longer than 300 characters, including spaces. The counter at the bottom can help.” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||20px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Libya\u2019s ongoing political instability has devastated its healthcare system, forcing families to embark on perilous journeys to Europe in search of life-saving treatment unavailable at home. Despite occasional promises from authorities, lasting solutions and reliable access to essential care remain elusive for the country\u2019s most vulnerable citizens.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”TO BE EDITED – TEXT OF THE NEWS – BLOCK 1 – Click on the WHEEL icon to open the textarea where you can paste or type your news. PLEASE USE ONLY THE FEATURED IMAGE FUNCTION on your right column to add the image.” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||1em||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Libya\u2019s ongoing healthcare crisis has come to symbolize the country\u2019s broader instability, particularly through the story of seven-year-old Sohan Aboulsoud, who suffers from cystic fibrosis. Her family’s desperate journey from Libya to Italy in June 2025\u2014a perilous, illegal sea crossing\u2014underscores the severe healthcare shortages in the war-torn nation and the extreme measures families are forced to take for the survival of their loved ones.<\/p>\n Sohan\u2019s inherited genetic disorder, cystic fibrosis, requires regular medical care and specific medications to maintain quality of life and prevent life-threatening complications. However, Libya\u2019s healthcare system is crippled, especially when it comes to chronic and rare diseases. After exhausting all domestic options for help, Sohan\u2019s mother, Khawla Nail, posted a photo of her exhausted daughter on a smuggler\u2019s boat, which quickly gained traction on social media and was featured by news outlets. The image sparked public outcry, leading to protests in Tripoli by dozens of families with children also suffering from cystic fibrosis. These families demanded urgent access to medications and called for the creation of diagnostic centers within Libya, arguing that the lack of such services threatens the lives of their children.<\/p>\n Since Muammar Gaddafi\u2019s fall in 2011, Libya has experienced entrenched political chaos, dividing the country into competing governments in the east and west. The UN-backed Government of National Unity (GNU) is based in Tripoli, while its rival, the House of Representatives, controls the east from Tobruk. The resulting political division and intermittent conflict have paralyzed public services, especially healthcare. Advanced hospitals and basic infrastructure are not being built, and essential medicines are frequently absent from the market.<\/p>\n A 2021 World Health Organization report revealed that in Libya\u2019s southern and eastern regions, roughly one-third of healthcare facilities were completely non-functional, while most others operated only partially. This dire situation has driven many families like Sohan\u2019s to seek alternatives, often at great personal expense and risk.<\/p>\n For the past seven years, Sohan\u2019s family has paid for laboratory testing in neighboring Tunisia and purchased medications through private pharmacies. Unable to rely on the Libyan public health sector, Khawla repeatedly submitted doctor\u2019s files to Libyan health authorities, only to be told there was no budget for treatment. The family\u2019s plight worsened as medical costs soared beyond their means, and Sohan\u2019s health deteriorated.<\/p>\n Eventually, in June 2025, Sohan\u2019s family made the agonizing decision to join the hazardous migration route to Italy\u2014one not taken from a desire to emigrate, but out of medical necessity. They boarded an overcrowded boat with other Libyan families facing similar struggles. Unfortunately, many migrants from Libya and Tunisia do not survive the Mediterranean crossing. The International Organization for Migration\u2019s Missing Migrants Project estimates that over 63,000 people have died or gone missing on this route since 2014, though the real number is likely much higher.<\/p>\n After reaching Italy\u2019s Lampedusa island, the Aboulsoud family found themselves in a migrant shelter lacking appropriate conditions for Sohan\u2019s chronic illness, especially concerning heat sensitivity. The viral photo of Sohan\u2019s ordeal compelled Libya\u2019s GNU to announce it would fund her treatment in Italy. However, beyond an initial contact prompted by media coverage, Sohan\u2019s family has received no concrete support or follow-up from Libyan authorities.<\/p>\n This pattern of empty promises is not surprising, say Libyan human rights advocates. Tarik Lamloum, head of the organization Beladi, argues that such government responses are often more about defusing public criticism than providing real assistance. He also warned that Sohan\u2019s story might inspire other desperate families to attempt the risky journey, believing it is their only chance for adequate healthcare.<\/p>\n The story of Sohan Aboulsoud is emblematic of Libya\u2019s broader healthcare collapse. Families with sick children face impossible barriers to care\u2014scarcity of medicine, malfunctioning hospitals, overwhelming expense, and official indifference. While political leaders offer public sympathy in times of viral outcry, meaningful systemic reform and reliable access to healthcare remain out of reach for most Libyans. Rather than lauding acts of desperate migration, observers stress the state\u2019s responsibility to create conditions where children like Sohan can receive the care they need at home. As long as Libya\u2019s political and security crisis persists, the nation\u2019s most vulnerable will continue to be failed by their country\u2019s broken healthcare system.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”TO BE EDITED – TEXT OF THE NEWS – BLOCK 2 – Click on the WHEEL icon to open the textarea where you can paste or type your news. PLEASE USE ONLY THE FEATURED IMAGE FUNCTION on your right column to add the image.” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Libya\u2019s ongoing political instability has devastated its healthcare system, forcing families to embark on perilous journeys to Europe in search of life-saving treatment unavailable at home. Despite occasional promises from authorities, lasting solutions and reliable access to essential care remain elusive for the country\u2019s most vulnerable citizens. Libya\u2019s ongoing healthcare crisis has come to symbolize…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2098,"featured_media":987777666,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[],"tags":[122,3046,135],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/987777640"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2098"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=987777640"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/987777640\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":987777683,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/987777640\/revisions\/987777683"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/987777666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=987777640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=987777640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=987777640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}