Health & Education

Tunisia, July 25, 2011— In a strong signal of investor confidence in Tunisia, IFC recently made its first-ever investment in the country’s health sector to broaden access to quality private health care for lower-income groups and people living in remote and underserved regions of the country. 
IFC invested the local currency equivalent of $8.2 million in Tunisian health provider Amen Santé. The financing will also support the private provision of services to publicly-funded patients at Amen Santé’s facilities.

According to World Bank data, there is a strong need for health infrastructure and hospital beds in Tunisia. Although its health indicators compare favorably with other middle-income countries, Tunisia only has 19 hospital beds per 10,000 people, which is lower than the global average of 25 and well below the average of 42 for middle-income countries.

Complementing Public Investment

The demand for affordable high-quality tertiary care is growing due to demographic trends and lifestyle changes. The introduction of the first private hospital will complement the public health care sector and ease the government’s burden.

Amen Santé plans to build a large-scale private general hospital and expand a clinic in Tunis. It will also expand a clinic in Gafsa in southwestern Tunisia and build a new secondary-level clinic in Beja, in the country’s northwest.

Creating Health Sector Jobs

The project will address the current high unemployment rate among educated Tunisians by creating more than 1,000 jobs and enhancing the skills and employability of graduates and workers in the private health sector.

Over the next few years, the company plans to expand its presence in neighboring markets in Africa through various arrangements, including pre-hospitalization clinical services and public-private partnerships.

“The project will demonstrate the social and economic rewards that a more robust private health care system can bring and contribute to increased public sector confidence in the benefits of working closely with the private sector,” said Guy Ellena, IFC Director, Manufacturing, Agribusiness, and Services for Europe, Middle East, and North Africa.

Ludi Joseph
Sr. Communications Officer, IFC
Consumer and Social Services
Manufacturing, Agribusiness, and Services Department
Phone: 202-473-7700