Tunisia has passed the threshold of 20,000 deaths from Covid-19. If the fight against the virus is one of the priorities put forward by the authorities, the means on the ground remain insufficient.
Faced with the distress of many Tunisians, initiatives are emerging, such as in the district of Ezzahra where the municipality, helped by donors, has converted the basketball hall into a field hospital for the sick.
Basketball hoops are just decorative. There are now 20 hospital beds equipped with oxygen extractors that occupy the floor of the room. “We could not stay with our hands in our pockets and we launched an initiative with the municipal council and all the members to help fellow citizens,” explains Nejah Abdjalil, municipal councilor. Everything is done thanks to the citizens of Ezzahra who helped create this center with the means at hand to win this war against the Covid”. A way to relieve congestion in hospitals or to help patients who cannot find a place to wait.
Everything is strictly organized, disinfected. And everyone is a volunteer like Mennek, a nurse: “It’s a humanitarian action, so you have to help people to heal them. It’s our life, in fact. It is very important for me”.
Amira came to visit her sister. This initiative undoubtedly saved her life: “She is ill, 50% of her lungs are affected. So she needed oxygen and we really found help here. It was panic, we were trying to find a hospital where we could get oxygen. It was not easy to find a solution that quickly. It was a relief”.
Tunisia hopes to have reached its peak in this new wave of the epidemic. It remains one of the most bereaved countries on the continent.
