According to a document published by the Tunis Regional Council of the Order of Doctors, the latter has officially approved an increase in fees for doctors in the private sector, which will apply from January 1, 2025.
Under the new scale of fees for medical services provided by independent doctors, the price of a consultation with a general practitioner will vary between 40 dinars (minimum) and 55 dinars (maximum).
On the other hand, the price of a consultation with a specialist will vary between 55 and 80 dinars.
The fee for telemedicine consultations is set at between 40 and 55 dinars for general practitioners and between 55 and 80 dinars for specialists.
The new reforms have also introduced higher fees for a number of other medical services for private doctors, such as specialist consultations in neurology and psychiatry (CNPSY), which now range from 60 to 85 dinars.
The reforms also include an increase in fees for dialysis services, from 35 dinars to 50 dinars.
Fees for maternity services have also been increased, with fees for conventional deliveries ranging from 550 to 850 dinars and for multiple deliveries from 650 to 950 dinars.
Under the new medical services tariff for independent doctors, the fee for extracorporeal lithotripsy varies between 600 and 800 dinars.
The fees charged by private doctors for medical services during the night and on public holidays have been significantly increased, reaching double the usual rate.
The Order is watching!
The National Council of the Order of Doctors has called for compliance with articles 42 and 43 of the Code of Medical Ethics, warning that any breach of these articles would expose the doctor to disciplinary action.
Secretary General of the National Council of the Order of Doctors, Nizar Laadhari, had previously pointed out that the fees for medical services provided by doctors in the private sector had not been changed since 2019, although they are reviewed every three years.
There is no doubt that rising prices, inflation, unemployment, job losses, rising prices for medical consultations and indebtedness have had a severe impact on the Tunisian middle class and other vulnerable sections of society in recent years.
The purchasing power of Tunisians in general has declined significantly between 2011 and 2021, and the middle class has shrunk, losing around 40% of its purchasing power, according to some unofficial estimates.
It should be noted that a number of so-called middle-class households are at risk of falling into poverty, given the financial risks to which some Tunisian families are constantly exposed.
According to the results of a survey carried out by the Tunisian Institute for Strategic Studies (ITES) in 2018, the percentage of the middle class has fallen by 20% in just eight years, from 70% in 2010 to 55% in 2015 and just under 50% in 2018.
At this rate, this social category, which lies between the wealthy and the most disadvantaged classes, is on the verge of disappearing. A phenomenon that would increase social inequalities…
