Managing Health Care in a Libyan Public Hospital

Libyan citizens who can afford private health care are opting out of the public health care system. They have a perception that the quality of public health care has deteriorated. The negative perceptions have resulted in a lack of trust by many of Libya’s citizens in the Libyan public health care system. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that have led to the negative perceptions and mistrust. Key research questions examined the role Libyan cultural values and privatization of health care might have played in creating the negative perceptions and mistrust of the health care and its delivery and whether the perceptions and mistrust varied between the patients and health care providers. Study results provided an understanding of the cultural considerations, the impact of privatization, and the respondents’ perceptions of Libyan public health care. This study and its results provides insight to health care professionals and administrators seeking to overcome negative perceptions of its public health care system.