Health Care

While working my way through this equivalency in Tunisia, I am discovering the intricacies of the Tunisian Medical Community. To me, although I am Tunisian, it has been a cultural chock. The issue that chocked me the most is this phenomenon of accusing each other of committing illegal deeds. I rotated so far in 5 hospitals and there was no exception. In every single hospital, I was accused of false accusations. It is a very common practice here to accuse each other of illegalities. Conflicts in the workplace are expected and I experienced some in the United States. However, the attacks oversees are far more sporadic, more polite and more sophisticated than in Tunisia. Dysfunction, mental illness, ethical and moral problems have reached severe unequaled amplitude in Tunisia. In my experience, the perpetrators of such accusations usually do not really know the actual current law. Ignorance of the law excuses not . What makes Tunisian doctors ignorant of the law? First the legal prin...

The second wave of the Corona virus pandemic in Tunisia is deadlier (than the first one) thanks to our politicians who do not know how to take the appropriate decisions. However, the elite of the country is not any better. The word elite refers to those professionals who spent decades being educated to become physicians. Emergency rooms (ER) are flooded with patients infected with Corona Virus. Medical personnel are highly exposed to infectious risk (the number of infected health care professionals and especially those working in ER attests to that). ER Physicians chose not to disclose the diagnosis of Covid 19 infection to patients in order not hurt their feelings. When you examine such position, you realize that it is wrong from the human, professional legal, practical and ethical point of view. These are the reasons: 1- The Tunisian law of July 27 th 1992 governing infectious and transmittable diseases requires Tunisian Physicians to disclose the diagnosis of transmissible diseases...

I am really tired of bringing many bad news since the beginning of this Covid 19 pandemic. For once, I wanted to tell a joke instead. However, what I am experiencing is fear of what may happen to Tunisia during this pandemic. Tunisia has reached a milestone with an absolute number of infected patients surpassing 30 thousands and a number of death per 1 million inhabitant surpassing 35.  Australia is a continent with an area of 7.6 million Km2 while Tunisia`s surface is 163.6 thousand Km2. It means that Tunisia`s surface area is less than 15 % of Australia. Nonetheless, the number of infections per million is higher in and the number of death is higher in Tunisia. Many of my readers will say "oh but there are more people in Australia than in Tunisia". Well there are twice as much Australians than Tunisian on this planet earth. If their rate of infection is the same as Tunisians there should be about 60 thousand infected persons but there are only 30 thousands. Is not that kind...

  During the second wave of Covid 19 pandemic, an intensive care unit (ICU), within a hospital in Tunis suburbs, refused to admit corona patients. The head of the unit made such decision and continued to admit non Covid patients. The unit has about 6 ICU beds with the possibility of mechanical ventilation. (Covid 19 causes a respiratory distress). Under pressure, this ICU is now open to patients infected with corona virus because it came under the scrutiny of the Ministry of Health “inspection”. There is even a rumor saying that her husband called the “inspection”. It happens that the head of the Emergency Department is the spouse of the head of the ICU. I find such situation choking. How could a physician (head of the ICU) refuse medical care provided by its own specialty in a unit equipped with the appropriate tools to dying patients in need of such services? There are no excuses such as lack of human or non human resources. Where is work ethics? Even though the rumors may be fal...