The government of Prime Minister Youssef Chahed has fired 13 officials following an uproar caused by the deaths of 15 infants at the state maternity clinic La Rabta last week.
The sacked officials include the director-generals of the health ministry, the obstetrics and gynecology center, and the national control laboratory.
The government also made a series of appointments in a number of health ministry linked departments, including the general administration of public health infrastructures and the human resources department.
The health ministry stressed that the new changes aim to make the Tunisian public health system more effective.
The medical committee investigating the case revealed Friday that bacterial sepsis infecting medical products had caused the death of the infants.
The committee chair, Dr. Mohammed Douaaji, told a press conference that the initial results of the investigation confirmed bacterial sepsis was found within the vaccine formula, which was administered to the infants, but denied news that the formulas were expired.
Meanwhile, a court ruling in Tunis banned a documentary on the deaths of the infants from being aired, sparking a wide political debate on freedom of the press, with some accusing the government of trying to cover up the deaths of the infants in a state-owned hospital.
A judicial source justified this decision saying it aims to maintain the confidentiality of the case without affecting security and judicial investigations. However, trade union and media sources dubbed the ban a “disaster” that deeply undermines freedom of the press.
President of Tunisian Journalist Union (SNJT) Neji Baghouri described the court’s decision as a “dangerous precedent that would undermine the achievements of the 2011 revolution regarding freedoms of expression and press.”
Baghouri said the court's decision was "politicized," calling on journalists to challenge the ruling and publish reports on the case to reveal the truth.
Authorities are seeking to prevent the media from performing its investigative role, which raises doubts about the real causes behind the infants’ deaths, he indicated.
However, government spokesman Iyad Dahmani asserted that the cabinet doesn’t interfere in judicial affairs, saying it wants to uncover the truth, just as the media aims to shed light on the circumstances of the deaths of the 15 infants in the same hospital within just two days.
In other news, the Criminal Chamber specialized in transitional cases of the First Court, decided to lift the travel ban on Rafik Belhaj Kacem and Ahmed Friaa, former interior ministers under ex-president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, and a number of former security officials at the Interior Ministry.
The judiciary had charged the former officials with torturing Ben Ali's opponents before the revolution, and deliberately killing protesters in a number of Tunisian cities during the 2011 revolution.
