Hospital-university doctors in Tunisia denounce a healthcare system on the verge of collapse

Adnen Hanchi, Secretary General of the General Union of Hospital-University Doctors, Pharmacists, and Dental Surgeons, stated that this action highlights the continuous deterioration of working conditions, increased violence against healthcare professionals, and a lack of dialogue with authorities. He emphasized that the crisis extends beyond sectoral demands, affecting all healthcare personnel due to declining conditions in public health institutions and the absence of sustainable public policies. The protest was prompted by the assault of a surgeon at Fatouma Bourguiba University Hospital by a patient he had operated on.

The surgeon sustained injuries requiring surgery and is considering resignation from public service due to the incident and a growing sense of abandonment among healthcare professionals. Hanchi noted that repeated violence is a major factor in the emigration of medical talent, alongside poor working conditions and material difficulties. He also highlighted the dire financial state of public hospitals, citing unpaid debts from the National Health Insurance Fund Cnam totaling approximately 2.2 to 2.47 billion dinars, which prevents hospitals from acquiring basic supplies.

Hanchi criticized the ineffectiveness of security measures, such as a police post at Fatouma Bourguiba that lacks suf