Tunis | Tunisiaās 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 āelements of the ongoing investigationā pointed to an infection caused by an intravenous feeding product.
The health ministry said in a statement that āpreventive 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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