The Popular Front party organized a number of protest vigils in a number of Tunisian cities, including Gafsa and Kasserine, condemning the death of 12 infants at the state maternity clinic La Rabta last week.
The participants chanted against the negligence at the government's health system and indicated that the resignation of Health Minister Abdel-Raouf el-Sherif was not enough, calling for the resignation of the entire government.
Most of the political parties and human rights and social organizations, including Ennahda movement, Nidaa Tounes, Tunisian General Labour Union, and Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights denounced the incident describing it as a “crime against Tunisians.”
They called for an immediate investigation and the imposition of maximum sanctions against those involved, and to hold the guilty accountable.
Nidaa, led by the son of President Hafez Caid Essebsi, criticized the new ruling “Troika” led by Ennahda saying it is fully responsible. He described the resignation of the Minister of Health as “normal”, considering the social and economic situation in the country which has reached a serious level requiring a radical change even at the governmental level.
Meanwhile, the country's interim health minister, Sonia Ben Sheikh, held a press conference Monday morning during which she reported that the infants had been born prematurely and died because of an infection in the hospital.
She asserted that injectables given to the infants were pre-prepared in a sterilized room according to highest standards.
Ben Sheikh, Tunisia's Minister of Youth and Sports, is filling the health minister's role left vacant by Health Minister Abderraouf Cherif's resignation on Saturday.
Preliminary results of the research showed that severe blood infections likely killed the premature babies.
The Acting Minister asserted that the infant deaths were "unacceptable", adding that the former Minister of Health is not the only one responsible because the deaths "resulted from a combination of deterioration and poor governance in the health sector that is going through a crisis."
She confirmed that anyone deemed to be involved in this will be held accountable.
Ben Sheikh also indicated that the results will be public for the Tunisians to view and called for refraining from attacking the medical staff before all the investigations have been completed.
Samples from the infants' bodies and the hospital in Tunisia's capital have been sent to three different laboratories to ensure the investigation is done in a "transparent and credible way, far from any suspicion," Ben Sheikh said.
Tunisian human rights sources revealed that the number of those who will be brought to justice, in this case, will exceed 30 persons, including administrators, medical staff and officials, as well as a former health minister, who signed many agreements to provide medicines, including a serum which arrived in Tunisia in last July, and is suspected of being expired.
Some 83 Tunisian lawyers are expected to volunteer to represent families of the infants.
The health ministry and state prosecutors have launched investigations into the cause of the babies’ deaths, which will be held by Tunis Court of First Instance.The Popular Front party organized a number of protest vigils in a number of Tunisian cities, including Gafsa and Kasserine, condemning the death of 12 infants at the state maternity clinic La Rabta last week.
The participants chanted against the negligence at the government's health system and indicated that the resignation of Health Minister Abdel-Raouf el-Sherif was not enough, calling for the resignation of the entire government.
Most of the political parties and human rights and social organizations, including Ennahda movement, Nidaa Tounes, Tunisian General Labour Union, and Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights denounced the incident describing it as a “crime against Tunisians.”
They called for an immediate investigation and the imposition of maximum sanctions against those involved, and to hold the guilty accountable.
Nidaa, led by the son of President Hafez Caid Essebsi, criticized the new ruling “Troika” led by Ennahda saying it is fully responsible. He described the resignation of the Minister of Health as “normal”, considering the social and economic situation in the country which has reached a serious level requiring a radical change even at the governmental level.
Meanwhile, the country's interim health minister, Sonia Ben Sheikh, held a press conference Monday morning during which she reported that the infants had been born prematurely and died because of an infection in the hospital.
She asserted that injectables given to the infants were pre-prepared in the sterilized room according to highest standards.
Ben Sheikh, Tunisia's Minister of Youth and Sports, is filling the health minister's role left vacant by Health Minister Abderraouf Cherif's resignation on Saturday.
Preliminary results of the research showed that severe blood infections likely killed the premature babies.
The Acting Minister asserted that the infant deaths were "unacceptable", adding that the former Minister of Health is not the only one responsible because the deaths "resulted from a combination of deterioration and poor governance in the health sector that is going through a crisis."
She confirmed that anyone deemed to be involved in this will be held accountable.
Ben Sheikh also indicated that the results will be public for the Tunisians to view and called for refraining from attacking the medical staff before all the investigations have been completed.
Samples from the infants' bodies and the hospital in Tunisia's capital have been sent to three different laboratories to ensure the investigation is done in a "transparent and credible way, far from any suspicion," Ben Sheikh said.
Tunisian human rights sources revealed that the number of those who will be brought to justice, in this case, will exceed 30 persons, including administrators, medical staff and officials, as well as a former health minister, who signed many agreements to provide medicines, including a serum which arrived in Tunisia in last July, and is suspected of being expired.
Some 83 Tunisian lawyers are expected to volunteer to represent families of the infants.
The health ministry and state prosecutors have launched investigations into the cause of the babies’ deaths, which will be held by Tunis Court of First Instance.
