Health Minister Mustapha Ferjani presented, during the joint plenary session dedicated to reviewing his department’s 2026 budget, the main programs aimed at modernizing Tunisia’s healthcare infrastructure and improving access to specialized medical services across all regions.
He stated that several major projects will enter into operation before the end of the year, including the King Salman Hospital in Kairouan, emphasizing that the ministry is working to equip public health facilities with next-generation medical equipment, particularly modern radiology machines and scanners.
Ferjani also highlighted progress on the “digital hospital” project, a platform designed to connect different healthcare institutions to facilitate diagnosis, improve care coordination, and enable remote patient monitoring.
According to him, this initiative represents a “qualitative leap,” especially for inland regions, where facilities will see enhanced capacities to provide specialized treatments in surgery, internal medicine, and other advanced disciplines.
The minister also announced programs to modernize emergency services, including the acquisition of new ambulances and strengthened logistical systems to ensure rapid response in critical situations.
He stressed the importance of continuous training for medical and paramedical teams to guarantee quality care in all regions, while referring to international cooperation efforts aimed at supporting the modernization of the sector.
The imperative of better healthcare equity**
Ferjani affirmed that the success of these projects requires the involvement of all stakeholders, reiterating the State’s commitment to continuing improvements to health services and ensuring greater healthcare equity throughout the country.
It is worth noting that internal and resident physicians observed a general strike on Wednesday in all faculties and hospitals. They also gathered in front of the Parliament building, where discussions on the Ministry of Health’s 2026 budget were taking place.
In a statement to TAP, Wajih Dhokkar, president of the Tunisian Organization of Young Doctors (OTJM), stressed that these protests were decided following the failure of Tuesday’s negotiation session with the supervising ministry, in the presence of representatives of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Finance.
The young doctors are demanding the enforcement of the agreement concluded on July 3 by the Ministry of Health.
According to Dhokkar, the supervising ministry has backed away from implementing this agreement, which provides for the payment of on-call duty allowances in all hospitals, the application of exemption, postponement, or maintaining the same place of residence for civil service obligations, and the publication of the decree increasing the monthly salary of young doctors starting January 1, 2026.
The union official added that the organization discovered that young doctors will only receive the general salary increases included in the State budget draft for 2026, whereas the July 3 agreement stipulated a larger, specific raise for young doctors.
