Ambulance in Zarzis

Departures from Zarzis Regional Hospital

Zarzis Regional Hospital is often the starting point for transfers: to the Habib Bourguiba University Hospital in Medenine, to the Sadok Mokaddem Regional Hospital in Houmt Souk, on Djerba, or to one of the two university hospitals in Sfax, Habib Bourguiba and Hédi Chaker.

Before a time is fixed, check that the receiving facility has confirmed the admission, note the name of the ward and of the person who will receive the patient, and gather the discharge papers. EMS organises the journey; medical information is exchanged between the care teams.

In a life-threatening emergency, the first call should still go to the SAMU on 190: EMS is a private service and does not replace the public emergency services.

Medenine, Djerba and Ben Guerdane: journeys within the governorate

Many requests never leave the Medenine governorate. Indicative distances and road times from the centre of Zarzis:

• Medenine: about 60 km, roughly an hour by road;
• Houmt Souk, on Djerba: about 50 km via the El Kantara causeway, just under an hour by road outside the high season;
• Ben Guerdane: about 45 km, roughly 50 minutes by road.

The Ras Jedir border crossing lies some thirty kilometres beyond Ben Guerdane. Short as they look on the map, these journeys are prepared with the same care as a long-distance transport: how the patient will be positioned on the road, whether someone will travel with them and who has been told to expect them on arrival.

Getting to Djerba-Zarzis Airport

Despite its name, Djerba-Zarzis International Airport is not in Zarzis but on the island, near Mellita. From Zarzis, the road crosses the Roman causeway at El Kantara and then runs right across Djerba: the distance is about 60 km, roughly an hour by road, and longer at peak times in summer.

For a departure, send us the airline, the flight number and the check-in deadline; for an arrival, the scheduled landing time and the name of the person travelling with the patient.

A passenger who has to lie flat, is on oxygen or requires assistance on board generally has to obtain clearance from the airline: that step is settled before the departure time from Zarzis is fixed.

El Kantara causeway, the Jorf ferry and the summer season

Zarzis has direct access to Djerba over the Roman causeway at El Kantara, 6 to 7 km long, which carries regional road 117. Vehicles coming from Gabès or Medenine can also take the ferry between Jorf and Ajim, where the wait grows noticeably longer in summer. In July 2024, the regional public works directorate in Medenine advised visitors bound for Djerba to leave the motorway at the Medenine interchange and head for the Roman causeway rather than the ferry.

For a patient, the route is chosen for its predictability rather than its length. At the height of the season, traffic builds up quickly around the hotels, in Zarzis as on Djerba: let us know about any timing constraint.

Pick-ups in the Zarzis tourist zone

The Zarzis tourist zone, which includes the Souihel area, stretches along several kilometres of coastline. Give us the full name of the hotel, the building and room number, the entrance to use and the name of a contact at reception.

For a holidaymaker, have the passport ready, together with the travel insurance case number and the contact details of the assistance company. The request can come from that company, from a relative who has stayed abroad or from the agency that sold the stay in Zarzis, provided someone on site meets the team on the day of the journey.

For a home address in Zarzis itself, away from the hotel strip, tell us the street, the floor and whether the building has a lift.

Long-distance routes: Gabès, Sfax, the Sahel and Tunis

From Zarzis, you join the A1 motorway at the Medenine Sud–Zarzis interchange, which opened in February 2023 together with the section from Gabès: since then, the motorway has run without a break all the way to Tunis. Indicative road times, excluding breaks:

• Gabès: about 135 km, a little under two hours by road;
• Sfax: about 280 km, 3 h 30 to 4 h by road;
• Sousse and Monastir: just over 400 km, about 5 h by road;
• Tunis: about 550 km, 6 h 30 to 7 h by road.

Over such distances, the departure time is worked out backwards from the appointment or the admission time at the destination, and breaks are planned according to the patient's condition.

Arranging a transport from or to Zarzis

Call EMS or message us on WhatsApp, giving:

• the exact address in Zarzis: neighbourhood, hotel or ward of the regional hospital;
• the destination and the time the patient needs to be there, or the check-in deadline for a flight;
• the patient's mobility: seated, in a wheelchair, on a stretcher, on oxygen;
• the name and contact details of someone at the pick-up point and at the destination.

A dedicated coordinator calls you back in under 10 minutes to confirm the route and the resources required. The quote is sent to you before anything is confirmed. A journey booked the day before can be prepared with less pressure, but a same-day request is always considered.