Zahia Mentouri

Zahia Mentouri-Chentouf (; 1947 – 12 July 2022) was an Algerian physician and government official who served as the Algerian Minister of Health and Social Affairs in 1992.

Early life Mentouri was born in 1947 in French Algeria. In 1952, her parents emigrated to France with her brother and sister, but Mentouri was left behind in Constantine in the care of her aunt and uncle.

Career Following Algerian independence in 1962, Mentouri was optimistic about Algeria's future as a socialist state, studying medicine and volunteering in healthcare in rural parts of Algeria. She also set up pediatric intensive care units in several Algerian cities. Mentouri was later appointed rector of Annaba University, where she established a school of medicine. However, during the Algerian Civil War, President Mohamed Boudiaf was assassinated on 29 June 1992; as a result, Ghozali's government was dissolved, with Mentouri resigning as health minister on 19 July 1992, before she could accomplish her ambition of instituting free healthcare in Algeria. Mentouri was also a researcher for the National Agency for the Development of Health Research, organized the African Conference on Health Research, and served as director of the Thematic Agency for Research and Health Science. Mentouri is credited with "training all pediatric anesthetists in the west of the country".

Mentouri died on 12 July 2022.