Tunisia honors trailblazing woman physician on note

Tunisia honors trailblazing woman physician on note
                                

The first bank note within the Arab world to feature a lady was issued by the financial institution of Tunisia on March 27. The blue 10-dinar note ($1.46), measures 148 by 73 millimeters, and shows the bust of Dr. Tawhida Ben Cheikh.

Not only was she the primary Muslim woman to become a medical doctor in North Africa within the 20th century, but as a specialist in gynecology, she was also a trailblazer in women’s health, particularly within the areas of contraception and abortion. Crane Currency mentions this is often believed to be the primary bank note within the world to feature a female doctor.

The face of the new issue shows a facing bust of the doctor above the words TAWHIDA BEN CHEIKH (1909–2010) in English and Arabic. There also are floral and arabesque patterns, and at rock bottom edges, two horizontal lines for the visually impaired, easily recognizable by touch. It also features a watermark with the doctor’s portrait and therefore the value, a security thread, and a color-changing circle with the denomination inside.

The back has vignettes of some pieces of pottery and Berber jewelry, along side floral and arabesque patterns. The text is especially French.

The Omron rings — a tool employed by many countries, intended to stop digital copying — appear on each side , as does a see-though feature within the area of the watermark. A layer of varnish protects the 2 sides of the bank note against dirt and grease.


After completing her early education that included Arabic, French, the Quran, also as modern subjects at Tunisia’s first public school for Muslim girls, Ben Cheikh enrolled at the varsity of drugs in Paris. She earned her degree in 1936 and returned to Tunis, where she opened a women’s reproductive health clinic. She often provided free medical services to the poor.

She was also very active within the nationalist movement that won independence from France in 1956. She was a lively proponent of birth control , and within the sixties and seventies instructed other doctors in related fields of specialty.

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