The President of Cape Verde, José Maria Neves, today called for an “independent audit” of the Dr. Batista de Sousa Hospital (HBS), in Mindelo, São Vicente island, recalling the death of seven newborns in recent weeks.
“In the event of an abnormal situation and considering the systematic complaints from HBS users, I believe it is appropriate to carry out an independent audit for a thorough organizational evaluation and presentation of pertinent recommendations,” the head of state wrote this afternoon, in a message on his Official account on the social network Facebook.
“I have followed with concern the news of the death, in these days of May, of seven newborn children at HBS. I know that the Ministry of Health and the Hospital itself are conducting inquiries to identify the causes of these deaths and take the appropriate ones and this is essential to put an end to the concerns of citizens, ”he added.
Cape Verde’s Ministry of Health announced on May 16 that it would conduct an investigation into the deaths of five newborns so far this month at HBS.
“After becoming aware of the occurrence of the death of five newborns, in the month of May, in the neonatology service of the Dr. Baptista de Sousa Hospital, and, guided by the need to clarify the true causes that originated the deaths, the Ministry of Health, through an office of the Minister of Health, orders the opening of an investigation,” the ministry said in a statement.
The investigation, he added, aims to verify facts such as the medical, nursing and care provided to mothers and newborns, as well as good safety and quality practices in the provision of care to patients.
It also intends to determine the causes that are at the origin of the deaths of babies in the second largest hospital in the country and the technical and administrative procedures adopted in the issuance of death certificates and also in communication with parents and relatives.
For this investigation, the Ministry of Health informed that it had appointed a team of specialists in the areas of gynecology-obstetrics, neonatology and nursing, made up of professionals from the Hospital Central da Praia and the National Health Directorate, who must present a report, at the end of this month.
In February, the director of the Neonatology Service of the Baptista de Sousa Hospital (HBS), Cátia Costa, confirmed the death of another five newborns in the previous month, clarifying that the causes were prematurity and congenital malformations.
The explanations were given after a press conference by the African Independence Party of Cape Verde (PAICV, opposition), denouncing a “growing increase” in deaths of newborns in that hospital unit on the second most populous island in the country.
According to the 2021 Vital Statistics Report of the National Statistics Institute (INE), the infant mortality rate, which accounts for the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births, was 10.5 in 2021 compared to to 11.3 of 2020.
Source: TSF
