Senegalese President Macky Sall has dismissed Health Minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr following the death of 11 infants in a disaster caused by a fire that broke out in a government hospital. Sall issued a decree appointing Dr. Marième Khamisse Ngom Ndiaye as the Minister of Health and Social Action, replacing Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, according to a statement from the presidency. The new health minister was, until her appointment, the Director General of Public Health.
The tragedy that claimed the lives of 11 infants in the public hospital in the city of Tivaouane in the west of the country has sparked widespread outrage and has once again highlighted the dire state of the healthcare sector in the impoverished nation.
The Senegalese president declared a national mourning period of three days in grief for the 11 infants and decided to cut short an overseas visit, returning to his country on Friday to visit the city of Tivaouane on Saturday. Authorities announced the opening of an investigation into the disaster, while the judiciary pledged to issue strict judgments in this case.
