Doctors in Private Practice the union calls for sectoral and tariff reform.

Tunisian Union of Free Practicing Physicians Calls for Healthcare Reform and Improved Working Conditions

Following its 14th national congress held on May 16-17, 2026, in Hammamet, under the theme "The Free Practicing Physician between Present Challenges and Future Perspectives," the Tunisian Union of Free Practicing Physicians (STMLP) urged the authorities to continue reforming the healthcare insurance system. The goal is to establish universal healthcare coverage that guarantees the treatment of all pathologies, whether common or chronic, for all citizens.

In its final motion published on its Facebook page, the union emphasized the importance of opening a serious dialogue with young physicians, accompanying and supporting them, while working concretely to improve their working conditions to prevent massive emigration. The STMLP also demanded the immediate and periodic revision of medical fees and conventional tariffs, which have been frozen since 2019. This situation, according to the union, directly threatens the sustainability of private medical clinics and structures in the face of inflation and rising management costs.

The union also requested that the Ministry of Health transfer the entire rate of deduction dedicated to health insurance (6.75%) to the National Health Insurance Fund (CNAM). It also reaffirmed the need to unify the first line of care to make it the central pillar of an equitable healthcare system focused on care, prevention, and health promotion. The text also emphasizes the required complementarity between the second and third lines of care and all stakeholders, while calling for the activation of a genuine public-private partnership (PPP).

On another note, the union categorically rejected the decision to exclude general practitioners (family physicians) from prescribing certain vital medications to their patients, a prerogative now restricted to a limited number of specialists. Qualifying this measure as exclusionary, the STMLP calls for its immediate annulment and demands that general practitioners be associated with all decisions related to patient care, considering their pivotal role in managing chronic diseases.

Finally, the union firmly condemned the ongoing brutal Zionist aggression against the Palestinian people, calling on Arab countries and all freedom-loving forces in the world to resolutely stand against this historical crime.