Tunisia: U.S. Team to Visit Tunisia End July to Install Field Hospital in Mahdia, Marsa’s to Start Operations Monday (Official)

Tunis/Tunisia — Director General of Public Health Facilities at the Ministry of Health, Naoufel Somrani denied reports circulating on social media about the Health Ministry’s “procrastination” in starting the operation of the field hospital in Mahdia, though the US side completed its installation. The Ministry is waiting for the arrival of a US team late in July to install it, he pointed out.

The operation of the field hospital in Mahdia depends on the date of arrival of the US experts to install its tents and equipment and the installation later of oxygen tanks by Air Liquide Tunisia and its electricity supply by the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company, Somrani said, expecting the hospital to be operated in August.

Somrani told TAP, a team from the Ministry of Health last Friday met with a delegation from the US Embassy in Tunis, overseeing the implementation of projects, including the project to install two field hospitals, the first in the Mongi Selim Hospital in the capital and the second in Mahdia. Both are part of a US donation received by Tunisia in early April.

The two sides discussed the date of arrival of a team of US experts to install the field hospital in Mahdia, said Somrani who expected they will arrive in the last week of July. The US team is expected to bring two resuscitation units, each comprising 5 resuscitation beds, to enhance the capacity of these two hospitals, Somrani added.

He also expected the Mongi Selim field hospital to start operations next Monday, expressing hope human resources needed for its operation will be provided in light of the current situation.

Somrani told TAP technical procedures related to the installation of Mongi Selim’s field hospital in El-Marsa were accelerated, as some control work related to fire safety, as well as some problems related to the provision of human resources, are expected to be resolved quickly.

These two field hospitals, each with a capacity of 30 beds, will provide a safe space for tests, isolation and treatment for patients with COVID and other airborne diseases, as they contain negative pressure isolation systems that can prevent infection, as well as electricity generators and bathrooms, according to a previous statement by the US embassy in Tunisia.

Minister of Transport and Logistics, Moez Chakchouk had made a working visit to Mahdia on Saturday, July 3, to monitor the health situation there.

He stressed the need to expedite the technical procedures to install the field hospital in the governorate of Mahdia, where a targeted lockdown has been imposed across all delegations from July 5 to 14, due to the spread of the coronavirus.

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