The Minister of Health, Mustapha Ferjani, confirmed that the technical and financial studies relating to the future Aghlabides Medical City in Kairouan are nearing completion. This colossal project, estimated at 3 billion dinars, will be launched as part of a Tunisian-Chinese partnership and should generate nearly 200,000 jobs, transforming the central region into a real health and economic hub.
A major project for the center of the country
According to the minister, this city will be built on 553 hectares in Menzel Mehiri, and will include a hospital complex with 14 care centers, a multidisciplinary military clinic, as well as several private medical centers.
A university complex will notably house a military medical academy, a higher institute of medical sciences and a national school of biotechnology engineering. The project will also include an industrial center dedicated to the health sector, a residential and tourist space, and cultural, sports and recreational areas.
Ferjani stressed that this initiative aims to stimulate regional development, strengthen private investment in the center of the country and create an integrated medical ecosystem favoring training, research and innovation. He added that the project is based on a public-private investment model, financed mainly by foreign capital and partially by donations.
Reforms and modernization of the health system
During the hearing session before the Finance and Budget Committee, the minister also mentioned two bills relating to amendments to loan agreements with the French Development Agency (AFD). The first concerns the modernization of health infrastructure in Sidi Bouzid, notably the construction of a 427-bed university hospital, while the second aims to accelerate the implementation of the electronic health program, including telemedicine and the digitalization of hospitals.
Ferjani insisted on the need to adapt administrative procedures to accelerate the completion of projects and defended the ambition to build national digital sovereignty in the medical field, stressing that Tunisia is currently the only African country with a fully digital hospital.
Parliamentary reactions and national issues
MPs welcomed the government’s efforts to strengthen health infrastructure and attract investment, while highlighting serious regional disparities in access to care.
They also denounced the drain of medical skills, the shortage of specialized personnel and the deterioration of hospital equipment. Several elected officials urged the State to review development priorities, reduce dependence on external loans and accelerate the creation of university and hospital structures in interior regions.
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