Mothers Give Birth, Only to Lose Babies in Fire

"To their mothers and their families, I express my deepest sympathy." Such were the condolences issued Thursday by Senegal's president to the families of 11 newborns who were killed when a fire swept through the neonatal unit of a hospital in Tivaouane Wednesday night; three infants were saved. Health minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr indicated the blaze at Abdou Aziz Sy Dabakh Hospital is believed to have been the result of a short circuit. The New York Times reports this fire follows one 13 months prior, in which four newborns died when a malfunctioning air-conditioning unit led to a fire at another hospital.

The AP notes that "a series of other deaths also have raised concerns about maternal and infant health in the West African nation known for having some of the best hospitals in the region." It cites two incidents: One from early May in which a baby that had been declared dead by a nurse's aide and taken to the morgue was found to actually be alive. The baby ultimately died. In 2021, a pregnant woman's requests for a cesarean section went unheeded and both she and her unborn child died. Three midwives were handed six-month suspended sentences for denying help to a person in danger.

(More Senegal stories.)