'Don't politicize infant deaths': Tunisian minister

By Adel al-Thabti

TUNIS (AA) – Tunisia's acting health minister has called for not "politicizing" the death of 12 infants at a state hospital in the country.

"We call on all to leave the health ministry to deal with the crisis," Saniyah Belsheikh told a press conference in Tunis on Monday.

Tunisia's state prosecutor has launched an investigation into the deaths, whose cause was likely due to blood infection.

The incident, which has sparked public anger, has forced Health Minister Abdel-Raouf El-Sherif to resign.

Belsheikh described the babies' deaths as a "tragedy", saying that the country's health sector was facing a "major crisis".

The minister expected the results of the investigation into the incident would be unveiled within days.