The president of the Tunisian Association for Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment, Dr. Hadi Gharsallah, announced, this Wednesday, September 17, 2025, the creation of a new medical specialty at the Faculty of Medicine in Tunis, dedicated to treatment with hyperbaric oxygen, and this academic year.
Invited on national radio waves, Dr. Gharsallah said that this specialty will take place over four years, like other medical specializations.
Dr. Gharsallah also stressed that Tunisia currently has a single center for hyperbaric oxygen treatment, located at the military hospital and created in 2008. This center is not reserved for soldiers: it is open to all citizens.
Hyperbaric oxygen treatment consists in making the patient breathe pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. This method promotes wound healing, accelerates recovery after certain poisoning, and is used in pathologies such as burns, serious infections or diving accidents.
Although nearly 50 doctors have been trained in this specialty, the number of active practitioners remains limited due to the existence of a single operational center in Tunisia.
The creation of this university course aims to train more specialists and to develop access to this innovative treatment in the country.