“I just learned, in pain and horror, the deaths of 11 newborn babies,” Sol tweeted.
“I express my deep condolences to their mothers and their families,” he added.
CNN contacted the hospital but has not yet received a response.
In a statement later Thursday, the country’s health ministry said an emergency response plan had been put in place and “measures are being taken to help the victims’ families”.
A statement from the ministry added that Health Minister Abdullah Diouf Sar, who was attending the World Health Assembly in Geneva, had suspended his trip and would return to Senegal today.
Senegalese Minister of Regional Planning and Local Government, Cheikh Bamba Dièye, described the fatal incident as “horrific and unacceptable”, while urging an investigation into the country’s health systems.
“I am horrified by the horrific and unacceptable deaths of 11 newborn babies in Tivaoun. The recurrence of tragedies in our hospitals reminds us of the obligation to thoroughly review the quality of care in our hospitals. My deepest condolences to the families, “he said in a Twitter post.
Add Comment