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Tunisia’s health minister resigns after death of 11 newborns

Tunis | Tunisiaā€™s health minister Abdel-Raouf El-Sherif resigns after 11 newborn babies mysteriously die within 24 hours in a hospital, according to state news agency TAP.

All of the babies died of septic shock at the Rabta maternity hospital between 7-8 March.

“Those responsible for any negligence will face legal proceedings,” Prime Minister Youssef Chahed said at the maternity hospital in the capital late Saturday, according to a video released by his office.

A judicial investigation has been officially launched into the case.

Mr Cherif’s resignation comes just four months after his appointment.

A medical association said the sudden deaths could have been caused by a food product that had gone bad.

The Tunisian paediatrics society wrote in a Facebook statement that ā€œelements of the ongoing investigationā€ pointed to an infection caused by an intravenous feeding product.

The health ministry said in a statement that ā€œpreventive measures and treatment have been taken to avoid other victims and to ensure the health status of other babies in the maternity wardā€.

Tunisia’s public healthcare was considered one of the best in Northern Africa, but the overthrow of President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011 hampered the systems.

Government critics say the public sector is rife with corruption.

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