Tunisian power outages and heatwave lead to health crisis and estimated deaths, doctors' organization warns

Baha Eddine Rabii, Vice-President of the OTJM, stated on July 27, 2026, that over a hundred deaths are estimated to be linked, directly or indirectly, to the combination of the heatwave and power cuts. This estimate is internal and not official data. Repeated power outages affected numerous hospitals nationwide, including university hospitals in Tunis like Charles-Nicolle and Habib-Thameur, as well as regional facilities.

Sensitive services such as operating theaters, intensive care units, and chronic disease wards were impacted. The hospital in Moknine reportedly lost power for nearly 24 hours due to a generator failure. Patients receiving home care were also severely affected, with many dependent on oxygen therapy devices having their treatment interrupted, forcing them to seek emergency hospital care.

The extreme temperatures exacerbated the conditions of patients with chronic illnesses, leading to an unprecedented saturation of emergency services, reminiscent of the Covid-19 pandemic. Doctors reported overcrowded corridors, a lack of available beds, and department heads struggling to find hospitalization spots in other facilities. Rabii criticized the absence of a national strategy for managing heatwaves and the lack