Three health professionals in Senegal have been arrested following the death of a mother and baby during childbirth.
Once again, the incident has highlighted concerns about weaknesses in the Senegalese health system but prosecutors in Kédougou say there has been "a clear failure to respect the basic rules of medicine.“
Meanwhile, health bosses in Kédougou have challenged the decision to hold the medical staff in custody, suggesting the accused should have remained free to continue practising because there is a severe shortage of health professionals in the area, citing Africanews.
In May, IOL News reported that eleven infants were killed when the neonatology department at Mame Abdou Aziz Sy Dabakh hospital in Tivaouane caught fire. Tivaouane city is located in the Thiès region of Senegal.
The horrific incident was reportedly caused by "a short circuit," further revealing the frailty of the Senegalese healthcare infrastructure.
According to a June 2021 ‘Senegal Health System Analysis and Its Implications to Global Health Cooperation’ report, under-nutrition and neonatal disorders were found to have posed the highest and most urgent risks on the public health of Senegal. This is intensified by the severe shortage of health human resources, vast disparity of resources between rural and urban areas, and unsatisfactory health financing mechanisms.