Faced with a judicial situation which they deem unfair, the Tunisian-university hospital doctors launch an unprecedented protest movement. The general union of doctors, pharmacists and hospital-university dentists initiated a collective resignation petition concerning all of their missions-care, teaching, research and management.
This spectacular action occurs after severe convictions in the case of “newborns”, with sentences reaching ten years’ imprisonment. The union denounces a fundamental contradiction: practitioners are judged according to European standards while Tunisian hospital infrastructures do not meet these same requirements.
The accusation chamber notably accused doctors for not having resigned despite their repeated alerts on the failures of the facilities. For Adnan al-Hanachi, secretary general of the union, this petition which aims to collect nearly 2,000 signatures constitutes a direct response to what he considers a dangerous judicial drift.
This crisis is added to that already initiated by the Tunisian organization of young doctors, on national strike since April 21, 2025. The latter protest against their precarious material conditions and claim a salary revaluation.
These simultaneous movements reveal a Tunisian public hospital system on the verge of collapse, faced with a deep crisis of trust and governance.
