During a plenary session of the Assembly of People’s Representatives (ARP), Health Minister Mustapha Ferjani emphasized that young doctors receive a monthly salary of 1,450 dinars during national service: 1,250 from the Ministry of Health and 200 from the Ministry of Defense.
He added that the government hopes to increase the salary cap for resident doctors to 1,950 dinars, including an on-call bonus of 80 dinars. “A resident doctor earns 1,794 dinars during their first two years,” he said.
However, he pointed out that salaries are paid with a slight delay, with these doctors receiving their dues every three months.
The minister also indicated that students receive 1,545 dinars during their second cycle (from the sixth year onwards), excluding on-call and standby bonuses. He emphasized that young Tunisian doctors are the best paid in Maghreb countries.
Additionally, Mustapha Ferjani announced that his department has granted significant benefits to doctors practicing in rural areas, including an on-call bonus of up to 600 dinars and a salary cap of 3,000 dinars. He added that these doctors are entitled to practice in the private sector twice a week.
They will be on strike for five days!
President of the Tunisian Organization of Young Doctors, Wajih Dhakar, announced, on Mosaïque FM radio, a five-day strike in all hospitals and a boycott of training centers, starting on 12 June.
He confirmed that this action is supported by hospital doctors and the National Council of the National Medical Association.
Dhakar reiterated that young doctors are demanding improved working conditions in the civil service, increased bonuses and the application of national service exemptions.
Specialist doctors are absent from rural areas.
The mere idea of settling in rural areas still repels many young specialist doctors, who refuse to work in regional hospitals due to poor working conditions and a lack of technical facilities in certain departments.
Paradoxically, the country does not lack specialist doctors, as its four medical schools train dozens of them every year.
Unfortunately, this wealth is distributed poorly, with almost all doctors being deployed in large cities and coastal regions, leaving inland areas almost completely uninhabited.
A lack of resources, repeated attacks on doctors, and an absence of a clear vision for the sector are among the obstacles facing doctors, forcing them to avoid working in the interior regions of the Republic.
However, the warm welcome and generosity of citizens in these regions could offset these challenges, offering young doctors a unique and enriching professional and personal experience.
Furthermore, when these practitioners leave their country of origin, they take with them their talent and all the training and learning they have received, enabling another country to benefit from it.
So, rather than travelling to the other side of the world to seize new professional opportunities, why not create your own here?
