TUNIS, Tunisia — The Tunisian government fired 13 health officials after 15 infants died earlier this month at a state-owned hospital. A Ministry of Health investigative committee determined the babies died of complications from sepsis and blamed human error for bacteria being introduced during formula preparation or storage in the obstetrics department at Rabta Hospital.
Even as the ministry promised improvements, dozens of Tunisians and civil society activists protested March 12 in front of the government palace in Tunis, blaming officials for the deaths and seeking an accounting for the country's collapsing health system.