Tunisia’s physicians threaten more protests against 2017 budget

Tunisian physicians have threatened to step up their protests against the 2017 budget which is being discussed in Parliament. The president of the National Council of the Order of Physicians (CNOM) told a press briefing that the organisation categorically rejects the measure contained in Article 32 of the Finance Bill, which requires doctors to enter their tax ID on prescriptions.

“This measure is a red line and is not negotiable,” insisted Nabil Ben Zineb. He pointed out that a medical prescription is not a “financial document” in so far as during a consultation, the patient may have two or three prescriptions or none. “This measure runs counter to Article 8 of the Code of Medical Conduct on medical confidentiality since it is easy to identify the reason for the prescription, which is thus part of the patient’s medical record and strictly protected.”

If the proposed ID requirement is adopted, said Ben Zineb, the physicians’ union will hold a general assembly to decide on further protests. “Doctors,” he stressed, “are ready to put on their white coats and protest outside the House of the People’s Representatives.”

Last week, the National Association of Tunisian Lawyers began a strike in all courts across the country, also in protest against the 2017 budget.