U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia, Donald Blome and the Tunisian General Director of Health, Abderrazak Bouzouita, participated in a roundtable discussion with Tunisian experts and officials, on October 21, focused on enhancing the performance of the health sector. The roundtable is part of the $5 million U.S. Embassy-funded “SAHA” project, focused on improving transparency and efficiency in the health and pharmaceutical sector, through technical support from EDER and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). The U.S. remains committed to supporting national efforts to strengthen the health sector, as Tunisia responds to long-term economic and social challenges due to COVID-1.
Ambassador’s Remarks
Good morning.
I would like to thank the Director General of Health, Abderrazek Bouzouita, CIPE, and Beder for inviting me to this important event. I am proud of our ongoing partnership with the Ministry of Health, especially through the “SAHA” project, totaling $5 million USD.
The experience of the past 18 months has demonstrated to all of us the importance of an effective and efficient delivery of health care services to all citizens. One aspect of that is the delivery of life-saving vaccines and other pharmaceutical products.
That is why the “SAHA” project was designed to digitize and streamline the pharmaceutical supply chain in Tunisia. I applaud the “SAHA” team for initiating these roundtables to identify ways to improve efficiency in the health sector.
The U.S. Government is currently investing more than $15 million to increase accountability and good governance in a range of activities, working with the Tunisian government and civil society organizations.
The “SAHA” project is an example of our shared interest in increasing transparency to respond to the needs of the Tunisian people. Transparency is the strongest weapon against corruption and makes governments more accountable to their citizens.
I thank the Director General of health and the staff of the Ministry for undertaking this important work and everyone here for taking the time to join us.
