The number of medical errors recorded in Tunisia has increased significantly, leaving hundreds of victims who lose their rights in the courts, due to the long trial periods and the absence of a law that guarantees the accountability of those responsible.
Tunisia records more than 5,000 medical errors annually, most of them in public hospitals, while the courts receive more than 15,000 cases related to suspected medical error in a year, a number that many describe as “alarming.”
While victims complain about the loss of their rights and the repetition of fatal errors, medical staff protest against the prosecution of their colleagues on suspicion of committing medical errors “without evidence.” Some of them believe that medical intervention is a human act that accepts error.
About 9 months ago, Ferdous (25 years old) went to a clinic specializing in cosmetic surgery. She says she did research on the clinic and the doctor who would perform the cosmetic procedure, but the result was “terrible,” according to her description.
She adds in a statement to Sputnik: “I made my decision with difficulty because I had heard about people who had suffered from medical errors that caused the death of some of them, and I did not think I would be one of them.”
Ferdous says she went to get a beautiful face with full lips, but she returned with a disfigured face that was swollen like a balloon. She adds, “The money I spent on treating the effects of the expired materials they used to inject my lips is five times more than the money I spent on the cosmetic procedure. It was a terrible experience that I will not repeat in the future.”
Cosmetic medical errors have seen a significant increase in recent years, coinciding with the growing demand for cosmetic procedures, according to the head of the Tunisian Association for the Assistance of Victims of Medical Errors, Essam Al-Amri.
Al-Amri confirms to Sputnik that some medical errors lead to permanent disabilities or death, pointing out that incorrect treatment causes the death of 2.6 million people worldwide annually, or at a rate of 5 deaths every minute, a number that exceeds the victims of wars and suicide.
Al-Amri adds, “Unfortunately, there is no special law that protects victims of medical errors in Tunisia, which pushes victims into a vicious cycle of litigation.”
For his part, the head of the Association of Victims of Medical Errors and lawyer Saber bin Ammar, confirms to Sputnik, that the Tunisian Ministry of Health conceals the number of medical errors committed and only describes them as dozens.
He adds, “The association issued an application to track victims, and it revealed that their numbers range between 5,400 and 5,600 cases per year,” pointing out that surgical operations at birth account for the lion’s share of the total medical errors.
Bin Ammar describes this number as “tremendous,” confirming that 70% of these cases were recorded in public hospitals.
He pointed out that “the deterioration of hospitals, the obsolescence of medical equipment and infrastructure, the weakness of the budget allocated to the Ministry of Health, the presence of intruders into the profession and non-compliance with health sciences, are all factors that have contributed to the exacerbation of this phenomenon.”
