EMS AMBULANCE · TUNISIA

Ambulance in Kairouan

Kairouan is an inland city, with no coastline and no airport of its own, about an hour by road from Sousse. Many of the patient transports here link the city of the Aghlabids with the university hospitals of the Sahel, Sfax or Tunis, and then bring patients back home. Based in Monastir, the EMS team works regularly in Kairouan and across its governorate on these planned journeys.

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EMS ambulances, Renault Master and Peugeot Boxer, seen from the front

EMS Peugeot Boxer ambulance, front view in a lane

Rear view of an EMS Peugeot Boxer ambulance with Ambulance markings and Star of Life

Ibn El Jazzar University Hospital and its Aghlabides unit

The city's main public hospital is Ibn El Jazzar University Hospital, known locally as CHU Ibn El Jazzar. Its historic site, built in 1900, has been complemented since 1997 by a surgical unit known as Les Aghlabides, which stands more than 3 km away. A hospital discharge, a test or a transfer between departments may therefore involve either site, so always tell us the exact site, the department and, if possible, the name of someone we can speak to there.

Elsewhere in the governorate, a patient being treated at the local hospital in Bouhajla, for example, may also need a transfer to Kairouan or to a university hospital in the Sahel.

Towards Sousse and Monastir via the RN12

When a specialist opinion or a test is not available locally, the patient is often referred to a university hospital in the Sahel. Sousse is about 60 km away along the RN12, roughly an hour by road; the university hospitals there are Sahloul and Farhat Hached. Monastir and Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital are about 70 km away, around 1 h 10 by road.

We set the departure time by working back from the appointment, with a margin for crossing the Sousse built-up area, which is slower at rush hour, and for the admission formalities on arrival.

Tunis and Sfax: preparing for a long journey

For Tunis, the most common route follows the RN2 as far as Enfidha, then joins the A1 motorway: a little over 150 km, or roughly 2 h 30 by road depending on the traffic on the approach to the capital. Sfax, home to Habib Bourguiba University Hospital and Hédi Chaker University Hospital, is about 140 km away, roughly a two-hour drive.

On drives of two hours or more, the patient's comfort comes first: lying flat or semi-seated, breaks along the way if their condition allows, and room for a companion. If the patient needs monitoring all the way to Tunis or Sfax, the decision to opt for a medicalised transport is taken with the doctor who is treating them.

Enfidha-Hammamet and Monastir airports

With no airport in Kairouan itself, travellers most often use Enfidha-Hammamet International Airport, about 60 km away via the RN2, or Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport, about 70 km away: in both cases, roughly an hour by road. Tunis-Carthage International Airport is about 2 h 30 by road.

Since the drive takes about as long either way, the ticket decides: send us the airport shown on the booking, along with the flight number and the scheduled time. For a departure, the pick-up in Kairouan is timed around check-in; for an arrival, around landing and the time it takes the passenger to come out of the terminal.

In the medina and the neighbourhoods of Kairouan

The medina of Kairouan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is enclosed by its ramparts and criss-crossed by narrow lanes where a vehicle cannot always get close to the front door. For a home inside the walls, tell us the nearest medina gate, the floor and whether there is a narrow staircase: the crew will then bring suitable carrying equipment.

Outside the ramparts, a well-known landmark such as a neighbourhood mosque, a pharmacy or a school saves time spent searching for the address. Kairouan's fierce summer heat makes any wait hard to bear, so have the patient and their documents ready before the agreed time, somewhere out of the sun.

Transport during the Mouled

Every year, the Mouled celebrations marking the Prophet's birthday draw tens of thousands of visitors to Kairouan from all over the country. During those days, traffic heading for the city centre and the souks is regulated, and the areas around the Great Mosque, Place des Martyrs at Bab Jalladin and the mausoleum of Sidi Sahbi (Abou Zamaa El Balaoui) are extremely busy. The date follows the Hijri calendar and moves about eleven days earlier each year.

If a hospital discharge or a return home falls during this period, mention it as soon as you make your request: we will adapt the route, the departure time and, where necessary, the meeting point.

Returns to Kairouan and the delegations of the governorate

After a stay in hospital in Sousse, Monastir or Sfax, the journey back to Kairouan should be prepared as soon as the discharge date is known. The same applies to the governorate's delegations (its administrative districts), such as Haffouz, Sbikha, Oueslatia, Bouhajla or Hajeb El Ayoun, where the journey is longer still.

If the home lies at the end of a dirt track or in a douar, a rural hamlet some distance from the tarmac road, let us know: we will check that the planned vehicle can reach it, or agree with you on a transfer point. Think about the arrival as well: a relative at home, a bed made up and clear access to the bedroom.

Arranging a transport to or from Kairouan

Contact EMS by phone or on WhatsApp, 24/7, with the pick-up address in Kairouan or elsewhere in the governorate, the destination, the time of the appointment or flight, and how the patient travels: seated, in a wheelchair or on a stretcher. A dedicated coordinator calls you back in under 10 minutes to go over these details, then sends you a quote: the transport is only confirmed once you have agreed to it.

In a life-threatening emergency, call the SAMU (190) first: EMS is a private patient transport service and does not replace the public emergency services.

Frequently asked questions: Kairouan

Is the Aghlabides unit on the same site as Ibn El Jazzar University Hospital?

No. The Aghlabides surgical unit is part of Ibn El Jazzar University Hospital, but it stands more than 3 km from the hospital's historic site. For a pick-up, a discharge or a transfer between the two, always give us the site, the department and the floor: that is what allows the crew to go straight to the right place.

How long is the drive from Kairouan to the university hospitals in Sousse or Monastir?

As a guide, Sousse is about 60 km away via the RN12, roughly an hour by road to Sahloul or Farhat Hached University Hospital. Monastir and Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital are about 70 km away, around 1 h 10 by road. These times vary with the traffic and the time of day, so we set the departure by working back from the appointment.

Can you arrange a transfer between Kairouan and Enfidha-Hammamet Airport?

Yes. Enfidha-Hammamet International Airport is about 60 km from Kairouan via the RN2, roughly an hour by road, as is Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport, about 70 km away. Tell us which airport is on the ticket, the flight number and the scheduled time: the pick-up is timed around check-in for a departure and around landing for an arrival.

Is transport still possible during the Mouled in Kairouan?

Yes, provided it is planned ahead. During the Mouled the city receives tens of thousands of visitors, and traffic heading for the city centre and the souks is regulated. Tell us when you make the request that the journey falls during this period: we will adapt the route and the departure time and, if needed, agree on a meeting point away from the busiest areas, around the medina and the Sidi Sahbi mausoleum.

Does EMS also travel to the delegations, such as Haffouz, Sbikha or Oueslatia?

Yes. Transports can start from any delegation in Kairouan governorate, including those furthest from the regional capital. Give us the most precise address you can, with a well-known landmark, and let us know if access is by a dirt track: we will check that the planned vehicle can reach the home, or agree with you on an accessible transfer point.

Ambulance in Kairouan

Ibn El Jazzar University Hospital and its Aghlabides unit

Towards Sousse and Monastir via the RN12

Tunis and Sfax: preparing for a long journey

Enfidha-Hammamet and Monastir airports

In the medina and the neighbourhoods of Kairouan

Transport during the Mouled

Returns to Kairouan and the delegations of the governorate

Arranging a transport to or from Kairouan

Frequently asked questions: Kairouan

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Patient transport in Tunisia

Long-distance medical transport

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