President Macky Sall announces deaths of infants after blaze at hospital in Tivaouane
\nTivaouane
\nEleven newborn babies have died in a hospital fire in Tivaouane, western Senegal, the country\u2019s president has said.
\nMacky Sall tweeted on Wednesday night: \u201cI have just learned with pain and dismay about the deaths of 11 newborn babies in the fire at the neonatal department of the public hospital. To their mothers and their families, I express my deepest sympathy.\u201d
\nThe incident occurred at Mame Abdou Aziz Sy Dabakh hospital and was caused by \u201ca short circuit\u201d, according to the Senegalese politician Diop Sy. \u201cThe fire spread very quickly.\u201d
\nThe city\u2019s mayor, Demba Diop, said three babies were saved. According to local media, the hospital was officially opened recently.
\nThe health minister, Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, who was in Geneva attending a meeting with the World Health Organization, said he would return to Senegal immediately.
\n\u201cThis situation is very unfortunate and extremely painful,\u201d he said on radio. \u201cAn investigation is under way to see what happened.\u201d
\nThe fire follows several incidents at public health facilities in Senegal, where there is great disparity between urban and rural areas in healthcare services.
\nIn Lingu\u00e8re in April, a fire broke out at a hospital and four newborn babies were killed. The mayor of the northern town blamed an electrical malfunction in an air conditioning unit in the maternity ward.
\nSign up to First Edition, our free daily newsletter \u2013 every weekday morning at 7am BST
\nThe fire on Wednesday also comes weeks after three midwives were convicted over the death of a pregnant woman who waited in vain for a caesarean section.
\nThe woman, named Astou Sokhna, had arrived at a hospital in the northern city of Louga in pain. The staff had refused to accommodate her request for a C-section, saying it had not been scheduled. She died on 1 April, 20 hours after she arrived.
\nSokhna\u2019s death caused public outrage over the dire state of Senegal\u2019s health service, and the health minister acknowledged two weeks later that the death could have been avoided.
\nThree midwives who were on duty the night Sokhna died were sentenced on 11 May by the high court of Louga toa six-month suspended jail sentence for their \u201cfailure to assist a person in danger\u201d.
\nAmnesty International\u2019s Senegal director, Seydi Gassama, said his organisation had called for an inspection and upgrade of neonatology services nationwide after the \u201catrocious\u201d death of the four babies in Lingu\u00e8re.
\nAmnesty \u201curges the government to set up an independent commission of inquiry to determine responsibility and punish the culprits, no matter the level they are at in the state apparatus\u201d, he tweeted.
\nThe opposition lawmaker Mamadou Lamine Diallo also responded with outrage over the Tivaouane fire.
\n\u201cMore babies burned in a public hospital … this is unacceptable @MackySall. We suffer with the families to whom we offer our condolences. Enough is enough,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Macky Sall announces deaths of infants after blaze at hospital in Tivaouane Tivaouane Eleven newborn babies have died in a hospital fire in Tivaouane, western Senegal, the country\u2019s president has said. Macky Sall tweeted on Wednesday night: \u201cI have just learned with pain and dismay about the deaths of 11 newborn babies in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":262906,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[488,7790,7789],"class_list":{"0":"post-262893","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-fire","9":"tag-newborn-babies","10":"tag-senegal-hospital"},"yoast_head":"\n