Published on : 26/05/2022 – 22:43Modified : 26/05/2022 – 23:19
A three-day national mourning was also decreed from this Thursday after the tragedy that occurred at the Tivaouane hospital, about a hundred kilometers northeast of Dakar, where 11 newborn babies died in a fire.
With our correspondent in Dakar, Charlotte Idrac
In white boubou, Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr went to Tivaouane hospital yesterday afternoon, accompanied by a large delegation. Hastily returned from Geneva, where the annual Assembly of the World Health Organization was being held, the now ex-minister had come to bring his “ moral support » to families affected by the death of eleven babies at the public hospital of Tivaouane Tuesday evening : ” I would like to share the pain with the families, with all of Tivaouane and with the Senegalese people. “, he said on the spot.
Three hours later, a presidential decree announced his dismissal. Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr had been Minister of Health since September 2017. Citizens, trade unionists or opponents demanded his resignation after the dramas that occurred in Louga last month – the death of Astou Sokhnaa nine-month pregnant woman – then in Kaolack – baby declared dead, then found alive in a cardboard box, before succumbing. Majority candidate for mayor of Dakar in the January municipal elections, Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr also suffered a defeat. Following his dismissal, he said ” renew loyalty to head of state ».
The head of state ” appointed Doctor Marie Khemesse Ngom Ndiaye Minister of Health and Social Action to replace Mr. Abdoudaye Diouf Sarr “, announced the presidency. Previously Director General of Public Health, she came to the fore during the Covid-19 pandemic, in particular to communicate the reports of daily cases.
Will this be enough to calm the ambient anger? In front of the Tivouane hospital, residents gathered to express their desolation on Thursday. While the parents of the victims are reunited with the crisis unit dispatched by the Ministry of Health inside the hospital, Mustapha Cissé is waiting for explanations. His brother had already lost his wife during childbirth, he has just lost his 22-day-old baby. “ He was premature, that’s why he had to stay there. We have bitterness, deep sorrow “, he confides.
Emotion and consternation in Tivaouane
After the death of four infants at Linguere hospital in April 2021, the drama of Astou Sokhna, it has to stop, sighs Awa Ba: “ It repeats itself, and it’s the last straw. The authorities must put an end to these tragedies in the hospitals, that they put the means, and the material so that it works, that is enough. »
This retiree who worked for 25 years at the Tivaouane maternity hospital is fatalistic: “ I know the hospital well, the staff works well, there is a good reception, what happened is the will of God. But this time, Ahmed Alamine Niane is waiting for firm action from the government: “ It’s a desolate situation, frankly, it’s deplorable. We ask the State of Senegal to place the responsibilities. »
In the afternoon, the mayor of Tivaouane Demba Diop Sy confirmed the death toll of eleven babies. None survived. He speaks of a short circuit, dismisses the neglect », and calls to let justice do its job.
According to the first information, it seems that there had been a short circuit in the room where the children were housed. In this room there are oxygen circuits. It seems there was a short circuit, a gas leak and it exploded […] The room was inaugurated in December 2021, these are new equipment […] There were no negligence issues, interviews were done on time, on time […]
The Interior Ministry says an investigation has been opened. In a message on Twitter, President Macky Sall expressed ” his pain » and his « consternation ».