14 May 2017 – Representatives from the Ministry of Health of Libya and the National Center for Disease Control paid a 2-day visit to the WHO Regional Office from 24 to 25 April 2017 to discuss support in establishing a research unit, including its structure, roles, responsibilities, functions and capacity-building needs. The visit was arranged by the WHO Department of Information, Evidence and Research and the WHO country office in Libya.
The National Center for Disease Control is a specialized centre which makes a significant contribution to the promotion of public health and protection of citizens, particularly in the area of disease control by enhancing the ability to find scientific methods for the prevention and control of diseases, in collaboration with specialized counterparts around the world. The Centre aims to establish a research unit to guide and advise health care delivery institutions, especially the Ministry of Health, academic institutions, health development partners, health researchers and policy-makers, on different health research matters, which govern the planning, review, conduct, evaluation and translation of outcomes of health research in Libya to promote high quality health research, and foster evidence-based health policy-making.
The delegates met representatives of WHO technical programmes to discuss shared areas of work and areas of potential support that WHO could provide to the Centre during establishment of its research unit. The 2-day meeting resulted in a set of recommendations, including the provision of WHO technical support in the areas of health research, information sources, health information systems, neglected tropical diseases, immunization, emergencies and communication. The delegation also requested that WHO provide support to the Centre in capacity-building in: bioethics and research ethics; scientific and grant proposal writing; and communication and presentation skills, including policy brief development.
