Tunisia expands digital health and hosts Telehealth Connect 2026 to build international cooperation

Tunisia's Ministry of Health presented concrete deployment figures at the event. Teleradiology is active in 30 healthcare facilities and has supported over 100,000 examinations. Electronic medical record (EMR) systems are in various stages of rollout across 99 facilities. The national health identifier has reached 800,000 active records to help link patient information and follow care pathways.

The three-day programme pairs strategic dialogue with hands-on workshops. Main themes include:

• Telemedicine and virtual care models and how to integrate them into routine service delivery.
• Interconnection of health information systems and steps toward better interoperability and data sharing between facilities.
• Cybersecurity measures and health data governance to maintain continuity of care under cyber threats.
• Responsible use of artificial intelligence, covering tool quality, safety, and the need for human oversight.
• Virtual hospital concepts and the logistics of cross-border telehealth, including regulatory and professional requirements.

Workshops will address cybersecurity in healthcare, AI governance and workforce skills development needed to operate and scale digital services.

Speakers and organisers emphasised that securing health information is essential for sustainability. Discussions are set to cover personal data protection rules, access permission frameworks, and infrastructure security. The summit places particular emphasis on ensuring tools meet safety and quality standards, and on preserving national control over health data while facilitating cooperation.

International cooperation and scaling implementation

Beyond sharing experience, the event aims to identify concrete cooperation opportunities with countries in Africa, the Middle East and other regions. Sessions will explore how to expand national programmes such as teleradiology, improve access to specialists, and address cross-border regulatory and patient-rights issues that arise when care or expertise crosses jurisdictions.

Policy context and workforce development

Tunisia frames digital health as a tool to improve access and equity across regions, with specific attention to training healthcare workers and supporting their adoption of new tools. The Ministry presents digital transformation as a practical route to improve continuity and quality of care, reduce unnecessary travel for patients, and strengthen the flow of information between facilities.

• Progress on rolling the EMR systems beyond the 99 facilities already engaged.
• Launch and early uptake of the Sahetna citizen platform and how access controls are implemented.

• Expansion plans for teleradiology and how that affects access to diagnostic expertise outside major centres.