In 2016,

life expectancy Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average time an organism is expected to live, based on the year of its birth, current age, and other demographic factors like sex. The most commonly used measure is life expectancy at birth ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

was 74 years for males and 78 years for females. By comparison, in the 1960s it was only 47.1 years. Infant mortality in 2017 was 12.1 per 1,000 live births.

Measles Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...

tetanus Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection caused by ''Clostridium tetani'', and is characterized by muscle spasms. In the most common type, the spasms begin in the jaw and then progress to the rest of the body. Each spasm usually ...

, and

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

have been largely eliminated by a major immunization program.

Schistosomiasis Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever, is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes. The urinary tract or the intestines may be infected. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody s ...

and

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

are rare, though

rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of exposure. These symptoms are followed by one or more of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, vi ...

, stings, and

leishmaniasis Leishmaniasis is a wide array of clinical manifestations caused by parasites of the trypanosome genus ''Leishmania''. It is generally spread through the bite of phlebotomine sandflies, ''Phlebotomus'' and ''Lutzomyia'', and occurs most freq ...

are still an issue. Non-communicable diseases associated with an unhealthy lifestyle are now the leading causes of death. The Human Rights Measurement Initiative finds that Tunisia is fulfilling 85.7% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income. When looking at the right to health with respect to children, Tunisia achieves 96.4% of what is expected based on its current income. In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves 96.5% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income. Tunisia falls into the "very bad" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 64.3% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available.

Healthcare

Tunisia has a

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

system funded from taxation run by the

Caisse Nationale d'Assurance Maladie Caisse, a French word, may refer to: * Caisse Desjardins, an association of credit unions in Quebec * Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears, a road-bicycle racing team *Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, a public pension fund in Quebec * Caisse n ...

that provides

care Care may refer to: Organizations and projects * CARE (New Zealand), Citizens Association for Racial Equality, a former New Zealand organisation * CARE (relief agency), "Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere", an international aid and ...

for the majority of the population. It includes health centres providing primary care, district and regional hospitals, and university hospitals. Contributions were set in 2010 at 6.75%: 2.75% paid by the employee from salary and 4% by the employer. Some treatment in the private sector is covered by the scheme.

Co-payment A copayment or copay (called a gap in Australian English) is a fixed amount for a covered service, paid by a patient to the provider of service before receiving the service. It may be defined in an insurance policy and paid by an insured person ea ...

s were introduced in 1994 at 10% and increased to 20% in 1998. Out-of-pocket payments are now more than half of the total health care expenditure. There is a private health care sector, concentrated in the cities, with both for-profit and non-profit organizations running hospitals and facilities. This has 12% of the total bed capacity and 70% of the top range medical equipment. More than half the doctors, 73% of the dentists, and 80% of the pharmacists work in the private sector. The

medical tourism Medical tourism refers to people traveling abroad to obtain medical treatment. In the past, this usually referred to those who traveled from less-developed countries to major medical centers in highly developed countries for treatment unavailable a ...

industry is the second largest employer and second highest foreign currency earner.

References

* * {{Tunisia topics

Healthcare

See also

References