Tunisia health minister sacked as COVID-19 cases surge

The health ministry said earlier this month Tunisia’s health system had ‘collapsed’ under the weight of the pandemic.

Tunisia’s Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi has sacked Health Minister Faouzi Mehdi amid spiralling coronavirus cases in the North African country. The ministry said earlier this month that Tunisia’s health system had “collapsed” under the weight of the pandemic, which has caused more than 17,000 deaths in a population of about 12 million. Mechichi’s office announced Mehdi’s sacking in a brief statement Tuesday, without giving a reason for the move.