In Benin, four people were taken into custody at the Cotonou criminal brigade. This follows the death last Friday, October 7, of four patients admitted to the intensive care unit of the National Hospital and University Center Hubert Koutoukou Maga (CNHU-HKM) because of a power outage.
Last Friday, four patients died following a power cut at the CNHU in Cotonou, the largest hospital in Benin. Thus, the authorities have taken the matter to court and the investigations and hearings have led to four arrests in the evening of Monday, October 10.
For the time being, these are the people directly affected by the supply of electricity to the hospital complex. Two in the hospital’s electrical division and two working for an electrical service company. According to our information, the first investigations revealed dysfunctions in the tasks that these four agents should perform in case of power cuts. This first part of the survey only takes into account the actors involved in the electricity chain.
It will then be extended to the medical profession without forgetting those responsible at the highest level of the hospital. In any case, the government of Patrice Talon does not intend to leave this case without follow-up. Each actor involved in these events will have to answer for their actions before the justice. According to concordant sources, the director general of the CNHU and the head of the resuscitation department will be interviewed this Tuesday, October 11, 2022 by the criminal brigade.
In his statement dated Sunday, October 09, the Minister of Health invited all the Beninese people to calm and serenity. Benjamin Hounkpatin renewed his commitment to work to definitively establish a resilient health system, capable of guaranteeing the right to health throughout Benin. This tragedy highlights the dysfunctions in African health systems.
