By Asma’u Ahmad
Tunisia’s Health Minister Abderraouf Cherif, has resigned after 11 newborns suddenly died in a hospital in the capital, Tunis last Sunday.
The official news agency TAP reported that Prime Minister Youssef Chahed accepted the resignation of Cherif. The prime minister has ordered an investigation into the sudden deaths of the infants, vowing to hold those responsible accountable.
Abderraouf Cherif
The 11 newborns were reported dead on Thursday and Friday at Rabta Hospital, the Health Ministry said in a press release. Preliminary findings revealed that the deaths were “likely caused by septic shock resulting from blood infections,” the ministry said.
The Tunisian prosecutor’s office has also ordered a judicial investigation into the deaths to be opened. Tunisia’s powerful labour union has called for the circumstances behind the infants’ deaths to be revealed.
In a statement, the Tunisian General Labour Union called for transparency in the ongoing investigations and letting the people of Tunisia know the truth.
