Medical staffers go on 10-day strike in Libya’s Sabha over doctor’s kidnap

The Medical staff in the southern Libyan city of Sabha  suspended work for 10 days in protest over poor security after a doctor was kidnapped.

A surgical department doctor at the Sabha Medical Centre, Salem Al-Selhab, was kidnapped by an unknown group on Thursday evening.

“For a long time the medical staff of the Sabha Medical Centre have suffered attacks, abuse and been shot at,” said Osama Al-Wafi, a spokesman for the center, adding that Selhab’s kidnapping was a serious setback.

“This doctor was very important,” Al-Wafi said.

Health services and the whole health sector  in Libya have been severely disrupted by years of conflict with the remote south particularly affected.

Staff at the center and at private clinics in the city announced a 10-day strike on Sunday to demand Selhab’s release and the provision of security for medical staff.