Boubaker Zakhama, the head of Tunisia’s National Syndicate of Private Clinics (an independent body), revealed that Libya owes more than $112 million in unpaid debts to 60 private Tunisian clinics. These debts have accumulated over years due to the treatment of Libyan patients who sought medical services in Tunisia following the security disturbances and conflicts in Libya after the fall of Gaddafi’s regime, in addition to numerous patients during the subsequent periods.
The private healthcare sector in Tunisia is keenly awaiting the settlement of these outstanding debts with the Libyan side, a financial burden that has been unresolved for more than 13 years. This situation reflects the debts of Libyan patients and injured who have flooded Tunisian clinics.
Despite repeated promises from the Libyan side, the latest being during a high-level Libyan delegation’s meeting with Tunisian Health Minister Mustapha Ferjani where Ahmed Melitan, head of Libya’s Service Support and Development Agency, reiterated their commitment to resolving these outstanding issues, Tunisian clinics have struggled to recover their dues.
During this meeting, Bshira Rahim, the General Director for Health Services Export and Investment Support at the Tunisian Ministry of Health, reported that the Libyan officials expressed their readiness to settle the debt issue and address ongoing complications, agreeing on the necessity to close the case and settle the debts as soon as possible. An action team, consisting of representatives from both the Tunisian and Libyan Health Ministries, is set to be formed in the coming days to delve into these issues.
Zakhama emphasized that “Libyan patients make up about 70% of the foreign patients treated in Tunisia, receiving approximately 1.5 million medical consultations annually.” He stressed the urgent need for a resolution to ensure continuity and quality of healthcare services, as financial recovery has been hampered despite the formation of an audit committee in 2018, which concluded its work in 2023 without managing to settle the debts.
