Violence Against Healthcare Workers in Tunisia
The President of the Tunisian Organization of Young Doctors, Dr. Wajih Dhakkar, reported on Tuesday that "the emergency department of the University Hospital Habib Bougatfa in Bizerte recorded 25 violent attacks against healthcare staff, including nurses, service agents, and doctors." He stated that they "demanded the deployment of a security patrol, surveillance cameras, and a minimum level of protection."
Speaking on the "Sabah El Ward" show on Jawhara FM, Dr. Dhakkar emphasized that "violence in hospitals is the result of the deterioration of healthcare services." He specified that they "had requested a permanent security post, but this request was not satisfied."
National Movement to Protest Government Inaction
The Organization has decided to launch a national movement tomorrow, Wednesday, November 19, to express the "rejection by young doctors of the policy of procrastination and ignorance adopted by the ministry in managing their file," due to the continued blockade in the implementation of the clauses of the July 3, 2025 agreement.
The unapplied clauses include:
- The payment of young doctors' arrears related to guard premiums in different hospitals and the revision of the ministerial decision related to it. The supervisory authority had committed to realizing it by August 2025 at the latest.
- The activation of exemption, postponement, or maintenance of the same residence conditions for civil service. No official documentation has been published to clarify the implementation mechanisms, despite the agreement to activate them starting from the September 2025 conscription cycle.
- The acceleration of the publication of the decree governing the increase in the monthly salary of young doctors, which is scheduled to come into effect on January 1, 2026.
Dr. Dhakkar highlights a exacerbated security crisis due to the failure of healthcare services, alongside a social conflict resulting from the government's failure to respect its commitments.
