The extra demand imposed upon the Libyan health services during and after the Libyan revolution in 2011 led the ailing health systems to collapse. To start the planning process to re-engineer the health sector, the Libyan Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other international experts in the field sponsored the National Health Systems Conference in Tripoli, Libya, between the 26th and the 30th of August 2012. The aim of this conference was to study how health systems function at the international arena and to facilitate a consultative process between 500 Libyan health experts in order to identify the problems within the Libyan health system and propose potential solutions. The scientific programme adopted the WHO health care system framework and used its six system building blocks: i) Health Governance; ii) Health Care Finance; iii) Health Service Delivery; iv) Human Resources for Health; v) Pharmaceuticals and Health Technology; and vi) Health Information System. The experts used a structured approach starting with clarifying the concepts, evaluating the current status of that health system block in Libya, thereby identifying the strengths, weaknesses, and major deficiencies. This article summarises the 500 health expert recommendations that seized the opportunity to map a modern health systems to take the Libyan health sector into the 21st century arabic 10 English 65
Nabil A Alageli(1-2013)

ABSTRACT Studying burden of maternal diabetes mellitus on preterm babies is an important step to improve outcomes of these babies. The study was designed to compare morbidity and mortality in preterm babies (28-36 wks) born to `mothers with and without diabetes mellitus (DM). An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted at Al Jala Maternity Hospital, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) department; all preterm babies with gestational age (GA) (28-36 wks) were enrolled in the study, from January 1st 2016 to December 31st 2016. The study sample was divided to two groups according to maternal health; preterm infant of diabetic mother (IDM) and preterm non-IDM. The information retrieved and analyzed were; sex, gestational age, birth weight, mode of delivery (MOD), Apgar score at 1st and 5th minute, hypoglycemia, respiratory illness, hyperbilirubinemia, sepsis, major congenital anomalies , length of stay (LOS), and neonatal death. Collected data coded and SPSS software was used for analysis. A total of 378 preterm babies were enrolled in the study period divided into: preterm IDM group 79(20.9%) babies and preterm non-IDM group 299(79.1%) babies. The preterm IDM group had significant high frequency of large for gestational age (LGA) and unexpectedly significantly low frequency in respiratory diseases (P= 0.047), perinatal asphyxia (P=0.021) and neonatal mortality (P=0.007); and no statistical significant difference in rate of hyperbilirubinemia (P= 0.145), congenital anomalies (P= 0.187) and sepsis (P= 0.468). Preterm babies born to diabetic mothers do not appear to be at an excess risk of mortality or early morbidity, except for birth weight for which diabetic mothers need more antenatal care. arabic 29 English 150
Najwa Fituri(10-2018)

Introduction: Smoking is a major avoidable cardiovascular risk factor and is a cause of premature death worldwide. Objectives: To study the prevalence, pattern, and awareness of health hazards of smoking among Libyan diabetic male patients in Tripoli Medical Center, Tripoli, Libya. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional, clinic-based study using a predesigned questionnaire, the participants were interviewed by the author. The interview covered personal data, and questions about their smoking status, and their awareness of smoking hazards. Results: The overall prevalence of current smoking was 26.4% and past smoking 40.3%. The mean age was 50.8 ± 14.4 years (range 18–75 years). The mean age at which smoking started was 18.6 ± 5.3 years; all current smokers were cigarette smokers. Main reason for quitting smoking was related to health issues while social and religious considerations were the main reasons for never smoking. Conclusions: The prevalence of smoking among Libyan diabetic patients was high; this calls for incorporating smoking cessation services within the diabetes care clinics
Hawa Juma El‑Shareif(12-2019)