"It's the final toll of this tragedy," he added. The acting health minister, Sonia Ben Cheikh, said Monday 12 babies had died from a hospital-acquired infection according to preliminary findings. "The whole health sector is in a state of emergency," she said. The deaths of the newborns prompted her predecessor Abderraouf Cherif to resign, while a number of senior health ministry officials have also stepped down. Tunisia's public health system was once a source of pride, but it has been hit by management and financial problems that lowered standards and caused drug shortages.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 16, 2019 08:48 UTC