Libyan man sails 1200 kilometers across the Sea by boat, to Italy, seeking medical treatment for his daughter

A deep, sad and emotional story has just gripped the hearts of Libyans.

A father is reported to have made the unimaginable choice in embarking on a risky boat journey, across the Mediterranean Sea, sailing to Italy against all odds, with his terminally ill 4-year-old little girl.

The distance between Libya and Italy by ship is 655 Nautical Miles, equivalent to 1,213 Kilometres, or 754 Miles. Doing the journey by boat should be among the riskiest missions one could ever take.

But the father did it. He was determined to have his little daughter treated.

The little girl, Siham Abu Al Saud, is suffering from cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic disorder that damages the lungs and digestive system.

It is being claimed that, after failing to secure government-funded treatment abroad, the desperate father risked everything in search of hope for his sick daughter.

 Their story quickly went viral, prompting the Libyan Prime Minister of Western region government, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah to step in.

Minister steps in

Minister Dbeiban then directed the Libyan Embassy in Rome, Italy, to receive the family and fully cover the costs of the child’s hospital admission and treatment as well as her father’s accommodation there.

While the Prime Minister’s swift response is commendable and deserves recognition, observers say the incident should be a sobering reminder of Libya’s crippling healthcare and infrastructure failures.

Despite being one of Africa’s wealthiest nations as far as oil wealth is concerned, the people of Libya in the post Gaddafi era, are being forced to risk their lives for basic medical care.

Which means the situation becomes even more futile when it comes to seeking advanced health services.

Reports from Libya indicate that the situation is a bitter consequence of decades of neglect of the health sector under Muammar Gaddafi, but the system became even worse after the leader was killed and at the moment health services in the North African country are on the verge of total collapse amid ongoing chaos.

Libyans are using the heart-breaking story of the father who sails the high seas in a fragile boat simply to seek medical interventions for his child abroad to be a wake-up call for the entire nation spilt with conflicts.

They tasked their leaders to address the situation, call for reforms and real accountability in health and public service sectors long left in ruins.