Tunisia Launches Digital Health Charter for All Citizens

Tunisia is making a bold move to ensure every citizen can access quality healthcare, no matter where they live.

Health Minister Mustapha Ferjani signed the National Charter for Health on October 1, 2026, alongside Communication Technologies Minister Sofiene Hemissi. The signing capped off a three-day international digital health conference in Tunis that brought together ambassadors, healthcare experts, and representatives from more than 35 countries.

The charter isn't just a digital upgrade. It's a complete reimagining of how Tunisia delivers healthcare to its 12 million people, with a special focus on reaching citizens in inland regions who currently struggle to access medical services.

The plan rests on six pillars: ensuring everyone has digital access to healthcare, keeping care coordinated, protecting health data with secure systems, modernizing digital platforms, developing research and innovation, and strengthening medicine supply chains. Each element works together to fulfill the constitutional right to health guaranteed in Tunisia's 2022 Constitution.

Tunisia has already proven this vision can work. The national vaccination platform EVAX connected 2,000 centers and tracked 13 million vaccine doses during its rollout. Now the country is expanding shared electronic medical records, national health identifiers, and telemedicine services nationwide after successful test phases.

The Ripple Effect spreads far beyond Tunisia's borders. The conference produced the "Tunis Declaration," creating a roadmap for international cooperation on digital health that prioritizes data protection and responsible artificial intelligence use. Tunisia is partnering with the World Health Organization, World Bank, and Japan to turn these commitments into reality.

For citizens in remote areas, this means accessing specialist doctors through telemedicine instead of traveling hours to urban hospitals. It means medical records that follow patients wherever they go. It means vaccines tracked digitally to prevent shortages and ensure every child gets protected.

Minister Ferjani emphasized that success will be measured by real impact: better access, continuous care, and higher quality services for everyday Tunisians. The government will present its progress at the Universal Health Coverage Summit in Tokyo this December, sharing lessons learned with the global community.

Public institutions, healthcare workers, universities, private companies, and international partners are all coordinating efforts to make universal health coverage a reality. Tunisia is proving that developing nations can lead the way in healthcare innovation when they combine technology with genuine commitment to serving every citizen.