Ambulance in Sidi Bouzid and Kasserine

Public hospitals in the two governorates

In each governorate capital, transfers often start from the regional hospital. Sidi Bouzid Regional Hospital was granted university hospital status by an order dated 8 August 2025; in Kasserine, Badr Eddine Aloui Regional Hospital obtained the same status by an order dated 30 October 2025.

Between the two towns, the new Sbeitla Regional Hospital opened its emergency department, laboratories, obstetrics and gynaecology unit and internal medicine ward in June 2026, followed by its operating theatre in September.

When a speciality is not available locally, the hospital department prepares a transfer to Sfax or the Sahel, and EMS handles the journey right through to the receiving department.

Sidi Bouzid: the road to Sfax

From Sidi Bouzid, Regueb or Meknassy, most transfers head for Sfax and its university hospitals, about 2 h by road from Sidi Bouzid on the RN13. Kairouan, the Sahel and Tunis are the other usual destinations.

See our ambulance page for Sidi Bouzid →

Kasserine and Sbeitla: the High Steppes road

On the RN13, Kasserine is about 32 km from Sbeitla, roughly 35 minutes by road, and about 75 km from Sidi Bouzid, about 1 h 15.

Towards the coast, Sfax is about 200 km away along the same RN13, about 3 h 05 by road, and Sousse about 195 km, about 3 h, via Sbeitla and then Kairouan.

Kasserine lies on the High Steppes, at the foot of Jebel Chambi, the highest point in the country. Winters here are harsher than on the coast, and snow sometimes reaches the high ground around Thala: on those days the journey sets off in daylight, with enough blankets on board to keep the patient covered and warm.

Indicative road times from Kasserine

These figures are guides for a journey without stops, measured from one town centre to the other; with a patient lying down, or with breaks on the way, allow more time.

• Kasserine – Sbeitla: about 32 km, about 35 minutes by road.
• Kasserine – Sidi Bouzid: about 75 km, about 1 h 15 by road.
• Kasserine – Sousse: about 195 km, about 3 h by road, via Sbeitla and Kairouan.
• Kasserine – Sfax: about 200 km, about 3 h 05 by road, on the RN13.
• Kasserine – Monastir: about 210 km, about 3 h 15 by road.
• Kasserine – Tunis: about 270 km, about 4 h 15 by road.

Airports: go by the flight, not the distance

The nearest Tunisian airport is Gafsa-Ksar International Airport, about 95 km from Sidi Bouzid (about 1 h 35 by road) and 115 km from Kasserine (about 1 h 50), but it handles only a limited number of flights.

For a repatriation, the choice often falls on an airport with more international connections: Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport, about 210 km from Kasserine (about 3 h 05 by road); Tunis-Carthage International Airport, about 280 km away (about 4 h 15); or, depending on the airline, Sfax-Thyna International Airport, at the end of the RN13.

For a visitor admitted to hospital after an excursion to the ancient site of Sbeitla (Sufetula), give us the check-in time: the departure time follows from it.

Preparing for a long journey from the interior

In summer, the heat of the steppe is a good reason to set off early in the morning.

Before the day, gather the following with the family:

• the transfer letter, the medical reports and the imaging scans;
• the name of the receiving department and a contact who can be reached on arrival;
• the appointment time at the destination, from which the departure time is worked out;
• the name of the relative travelling with the patient, if there is one.

After a hospital stay in the Sahel or in Sfax, the journey home may end late in the day: make sure the bed is ready, the access is clear and someone is at home.

EMS is a private service: in a life-threatening emergency, the first call should still go to the SAMU (190).

Arranging a transport to or from Sidi Bouzid and Kasserine

Call EMS or send a WhatsApp message giving the delegation and the pick-up address, the destination facility and department, the date and the arrival time you need. Tell us as well whether the patient travels seated or lying down, whether they are on oxygen and whether a return trip is planned, for example for a treatment session in Sfax or Sousse.

A dedicated coordinator calls you back in under 10 minutes to check the route, the patient’s condition and the level of support required: a standard patient transport ambulance or a medicalised transport. The quote is sent to you before anything is confirmed, and the departure time is then set.