Eleven newborn babies died in a fire in a maternity ward in a Senegalese hospital on Wednesday evening. This was announced by Senegalese President Macky Sall, international news agencies reported on Thursday. It is the next fatal event in a series of deadly incidents in Senegalese maternity care. Health Minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr was fired by Sall on Thursday following the fire.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the fire at the Abdoul Aziz Sy Dabakh Hospital in the city of Tivaouane, located 120 kilometers northeast of the capital Dakar. According to initial reports, the fire was caused by a short circuit. The nurses present were able to bring three babies to safety.
Maternity care in Senegal is in a very bad state and suffers, among other things, from a lack of staff. Several fatal incidents have occurred in recent years. Last year, for example, a pregnant woman died during her delivery, after waiting in vain for a cesarean section for hours. Four newborns also died in a hospital fire in northern Senegal in 2021. Last month, authorities discovered a live baby who had been pronounced dead in a morgue. The baby later died.
President Sall confirmed the deaths of the 11 babies late Wednesday night. “My deepest condolences to the mothers and families,” he tweeted. Yewwi Askan Wi, a coalition of opposition parties, on Thursday called on the government to take “all necessary measures” to prevent “a similar tragedy” in the future.