During a plenary session devoted to the 2026 budget of the Ministry of Social Affairs, several deputies sounded the alarm: social funds are going through a crisis that has become structural and dangerous, requiring an emergency plan to avoid a collapse with major health, economic and social consequences.
Social funds on the verge of asphyxiation
The deputies recalled that the cumulative deficit of social funds now exceeds 3 billion dinars, jeopardizing the continuity of health services, the financial stability of the Central Pharmacy, and the operation of public hospitals.
For them, it is no longer a simple budgetary imbalance, but a direct threat to the right to health and the very survival of the social system.
Added to this is a problem of governance: several strategic establishments – including the CNSS, the CNAM, the general directorate of social security or the general committee for social promotion – operate without a general director, managed by interim managers, which paralyzes structuring decisions.
Controversies surrounding free care records and social assistance
The updating of the lists of beneficiaries of free care records and social assistance has sparked strong criticism.
MPs denounce the exclusion of families living in great precariousness, selection criteria deemed “arbitrary”, a total lack of consideration of the humanitarian dimension.
Conversely, some beneficiaries continue to access social assistance despite a comfortable financial situation or work in the parallel economy.
A situation described as unfair and indicative of a “failing” targeting system.
Precarious employment, construction sites and specialized centers: a growing social malaise
The deputies also questioned the ministry on several outstanding files: construction site workers dismissed after the implementation of the new law on employment contracts; agents and executives of specialized education centers under associations for the protection of disabled people; temporary agents of the State Land Office, whose professional situation remains blocked.
All denounce a persistence of precariousness and the absence of concrete solutions.
Another point raised: the non-activation of the job loss insurance fund and the protection fund for agricultural workers, although announced for several years and presented as essential instruments of social justice.
Regional inequalities: social units lacking resources
Several MEPs drew attention to the glaring deficiencies in certain regions.
Example cited: the Sbikha social affairs unit in Kairouan, which has only two social workers for nearly 80,000 inhabitants.
This gap between needs and available resources illustrates, according to them, the deep regional inequalities and the need to strengthen teams to guarantee a dignified public service.
Read also
