Libya to pay $300m in medical debts to Jordan

Libya has been told it owes Jordanian hospitals approximately $300 million in unpaid debts for treating its citizens.

During a visit by a Libyan delegation last week, the Jordan’s Private Hospitals Association informed the group of the debts which the delegation agreed to pay.

A committee tasked with settling the issue of the Libyan medical debts along with staff from the Libyan embassy in Amman met with representatives from the country’s hospitals and agreed to settle the bill, a statement said.

Read: Haftar’s forces claim victory in battles in east Libya

The debts are believed to have accumulated from 2011 when some 80,000 Libyans were treated in Jordan. In some cases, entire families travelled to Jordan staying in expensive hotels at Libya’s expense while only one member was treated for injuries not linked to the war.

By September 2013, Libya owed private health care companies $80 million and the amount increased to $300 million when the Thinni government agreed to pay Jordanian as well as Tunisian healthcare debts but failed to do so since.

Libya’s willingness to address the debts now is reportedly thanks to Khalifa Hafter, according to Jordanian weekly Assabeel. The head of the Libya National Army ordered for the outstanding debts to Jordan to be paid.