Algerian patients victims of “venal proxies” directing them towards Tunisian medical clinics

The medical treatment in Tunisia’s clinics resorted to by numerous Algerian patients, has become an important financial source for a number of ”venal proxies”, who have found in the hapless patients’ suffering a great opportunity to make colossal sums of money by turning this activity into a virtual thriving trade.

Reliable sources revealed to “Echorouk” that one of the patients residing in the city of Tlemcen in western Algeria who intended to travel this summer for treatment in one of the private clinics in the Tunisian capital Tunis, abruptly collided with the painful reality of the situation on the ground, prompting him to back down on his cure-seeking endeavor on account of the somber practices of shadowy “proxies” who were supposed to facilitate to him his admission to a Tunis clinic.

These “proxies” including Algerians and Tunisians who have generally no link whatsoever with medicine and who lack education have been, for some time now, striving through devious means to convince Algerian and Libyan patients to seek treatment in Tunisian private health facilities by notably promising them to spare them all the red-tape procedures for that purpose in return for hefty kickbacks in hard currency.

The same sources said the amount of this money reached at least 1,500 Euros for each patient who is often left in the lurch, fending off for himself or herself in search for the salvaging medical treatment.

These data confirm the existence of a shadowy network working to guide patients, made up of Algerians and Tunisians, but who are bent on looting the Algerians patients’ funds fraudulently, by shamelessly taking advantage of the social and educational conditions of the ailing patients.