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At a fertility clinic in Tunis, Bintou Yunoussa hopes docs can lastly assist her conceive — one in all greater than two million foreigners who journey to Tunisia yearly for medical procedures. Whereas Tunisians face financial hardships and their authorities is mired in debt, medical tourism has thrived and authorities need to broaden the worthwhile sector even additional. Yunoussa, from Niger, mentioned a relative had really useful the non-public clinic within the Tunisian capital after three years of unsuccessful therapies.
“My sister-in-law had twins after an insemination carried out in Tunisia,” the 25-year-old informed AFP. “That is why I selected to come back right here.” She was accompanied by her sister Khadija, 32, who had her eggs frozen 5 months in the past in the identical clinic, which specialises in medically assisted replica. Nadia Fenina, a well being ministry official, mentioned Tunisia’s extremely specialised non-public clinics and expert employees make it a number one medical tourism vacation spot.
“Tunisia is primary in Africa by way of healthcare demand and provide,” Fenina informed AFP. Medical tourism has bounced again from a coronavirus-era halt, and the sector generates round 3.5 billion dinars ($1.1 billion) in annual revenues — about half of Tunisia’s total tourism revenue final yr. “Medical tourism is linked to the final tourism sector, as a result of a overseas affected person can be a vacationer who typically doesn’t come alone,” mentioned Fenina.
“The promotion of medical tourism will depend on the event of the tourism sector” as a complete, she added. Accounting for 9 p.c of Tunisia’s gross home product, tourism is essential for the debt-stricken nation the place the economic system has slowed down, with a World Financial institution estimate placing progress for 2023 at a modest 1.2 p.c. Final yr, the small Mediterranean nation of 12 million individuals drew almost 9 million vacationers, in keeping with official figures.
They included greater than 500,000 overseas sufferers hospitalised in Tunisia and about two million others who had obtained same-day care, officers say.
Probability to chill out
The Tunis clinic the place Yunoussa was handled obtained 450 sufferers for in vitro fertilisation final yr, a lot of whom from sub-Saharan African international locations the place some therapies could also be unavailable or arduous to entry, mentioned Dr Fethi Zhiwa. Others got here from elsewhere in North Africa in addition to Western international locations like Britain, Switzerland and Canada, mentioned the physician, citing inexpensive charges and Tunisia’s “world-renowned fertility specialists” as the principle drawing factors.
Many European medical vacationers come for beauty surgical procedure, representing 15 p.c of all therapies for foreigners in Tunisia, Fenina mentioned. Mohamed, a 59-year-old Libyan who gave his first identify solely, visits Tunisia twice a yr to see his heart specialist for normal check-ups following an operation. “This physician saved my life, I’ll by no means change him,” he mentioned.
Travelling along with his spouse, the couple deliberate to make use of the most recent journey to additionally “spend just a few days enjoyable in Tabarka”, a city on Tunisia’s northwestern coast, Mohamed mentioned. Tourism has “sturdy potential” in Tunisia and might develop “if we overcome some obstacles and limitations”, mentioned Fenina. Direct flights to extra African locations and less complicated visa procedures may assist, she mentioned, “which is why we’re working to implement a medical visa”.
The well being ministry can be engaged on higher coordination between medical tourism businesses, healthcare suppliers and different stakeholders, and collaborating with the non-public sector to arrange amenities geared in direction of an aged European clientele. Whereas the nation has seen an alarming rise in anti-migrant sentiment, marked by violence and fiery remarks final yr by the president portray “hordes” of Africans as a menace, Yunoussa mentioned she felt welcome in Tunisia. “I really feel at residence right here,” she mentioned.