The Tunisian Ministry of Health announced, Wednesday, July 2 in the evening, the holding of a negotiation meeting with the organization of internal and resident doctors (OTMIR), scheduled for Thursday, July 3. This initiative is part of the recommendations made by the President of the Republic, Kaïs Saïed, during his interview on July 1 with the Minister of Health, Mustapha Ferjani.
The head of state then called for “the urgent establishment of a renovated legal framework”, aimed at guaranteeing the rights of doctors, paramedical staff and general health workers. A reform he deems necessary to ensure both the dignity of these professionals and the sustainability of the public health system.
Receiving the Minister of Health at the Palais de Carthage, Kaïs Saïed praised “the Tunisian medical skills recognized internationally”, while denouncing a logic of flight of talents abroad, which he described as absurd. “So who does?” He wondered, in reference to the massive departure of Tunisian practitioners to more attractive health systems.
The president also recalled that the right to health constitutes a constitutional principle and a fundamental law. He insisted on the need to initiate concrete reforms to improve access to care, especially in marginalized regions.
Faced with the discomfort expressed for several months by young practitioners – in training or recently graduates – and the continuous degradation of the public hospital service, this dialogue session could open the way to a calm of tensions. However, the ministry did not specify the contours of the negotiation or the points which will be discussed with the union representatives.
