Tunisian minister quits amid baby death scandal
Print Edition
Tunisia鈥檚 health minister has resigned after the sudden deaths of 11 newborn babies at a state maternity hospital sparked an outcry in the country.
Prime Minister Youssef Chahed accepted Abderraouf Cherif鈥檚 resignation, the premier鈥檚 office said on Facebook late on Saturday.
鈥淭hose responsible for any negligence will face legal proceedings,鈥 the prime minister said at the maternity hospital in the capital late Saturday, according to a video released by his office.
Leading newspaper Essafa yesterday cried foul and called the deaths of the babies a 鈥渟tate crime.鈥
A medical association said the sudden deaths could have been caused by bad food.
The babies died on Thursday and Friday at the Rabta clinic in Tunis, which is part of a large medical center in the capital.
Since then, authorities have launched several investigations, including medical and hygiene checks by the health ministry, which was also probing the management of the hospital pharmacy.
Prosecutors said they had opened a judicial inquiry into the deaths.
The Tunisian pediatrics society wrote in a statement on Facebook that 鈥渆lements of the ongoing investigation鈥 pointed to an infection caused by a food product given by gastric tube.
The association called on the authorities to 鈥渟hed light鈥 on the situation and recalled the 鈥減recarious conditions in which health professionals work.鈥
The health ministry said in a statement that 鈥減reventive measures and treatment have been taken to avoid other victims and to ensure the health of other babies in the maternity ward.鈥
The independent Tunisian Forum of Economic and Social Rights had called on the minister to resign over the deaths.
The public health system, once a source of pride in Tunisia, has been hit by management and financial problems that lowered standards and caused drug shortages.
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