Faced with the stagnation of discussions with the Ministry of Health, the young Tunisian doctors move up a gear. In a statement published on Saturday, the Tunisian organization of young doctors said that its members are preparing to start a series of protest movements, including a five -day national strike, the date of which will be fixed later.
In parallel, the young practitioners decided to boycott the assignment to internship places in all medical specialties, including family medicine, from July 1, 2025 “in the event that the Ministry of Health does not attack serious negotiations”. A decision fraught with consequences: university hospitals could find themselves without resident doctors this summer if no constructive dialogue is engaged by then.
This hardening intervenes the day after a national march organized on Friday in the capital, in which several dozen young doctors took part. This mobilization was held in a general strike in all hospital services, coupled with the suspension of academic activities in the Faculties of Medicine, with the exception of emergencies and guards.
The demands of young doctors are multiple, but the revision of the guard bonus appears at the heart of their concerns. Currently fixed at around 3 dinars per hour, this derisory remuneration would not even be paid in nearly two thirds of hospitals, according to the organization.
Young doctors are also claiming to be overhauled by the internship assessment system, which they consider opaque and based on subjective criteria linked to the advice of department heads. They call for the establishment of clear and fair rules to guarantee the quality of the training.
Finally, the union urges the ministry to review the civil service system in depth and to improve working conditions in public structures, in order to limit the migratory hemorrhage of young doctors abroad.
