Cameroon: Newborn baby reportedly stolen in Douala hospital, family given no explanations

A newborn baby is reported to have been stolen at Laquintinie Hospital, situated in the heart of Cameroon’s commercial city, Douala.

A Baby’s mother, Bell Esther Aurelie told MMI that her newborn baby disappeared immediately after it was born on Friday, March 31.

Aurelie told MMI she was bewildered at the ‘vague’ explanation given to her by the midwives – that the baby died at birth and was thrown into a septic tank.

She said she has not seen the baby since it was born and she believes the baby was stolen.

Aurelie arrived at the hospital around 10pm on Thursday, March 30, and was delivered of the baby at 1am on Friday. But she has not seen the baby since it was born.

“I put to birth three days ago (that is on Thursday night breaking Friday). That was one month to my due date, I was later told by the medical staff that the baby was thrown in a Septic tank,” the expectant mother told MMI painfully.

Aurelie recounted: “I arrived at the Laquintinie hospital at 10:00 PM. I was in serious pains and I was bleeding heavily. I was later admitted into the delivery ward. Earlier, I had arrived at the hospital with my husband, my mother, and my sister-in-law. They were denied access into the delivery room. They said visitors do not have the right to enter the delivery room, whereas the mother of my neighbor at the delivery room was permitted to see her daughter regularly.”

“I was left on my own when a midwife came to me, presenting herself as Ariel. She helped me to put to birth since I was eight months pregnant. But before that, she had reminded me that I am putting to birth prematurely and that if the child comes out alive, it will be put in an incubator but if he dies, my family and I would return with the corpse. I said, may the will of God be done.”

“I then gave birth to my baby normally, not through an operation. After that, I was cleaned up. All they told me was that the child came out in pieces. I began crying. They confused my husband and my sister-in-law with some documents, asking them to fill some forms instead of presenting the remains to them.”

‘Foul play’

She was delivered of the baby by a Laquintinie hospital midwife named Ariane Fabiola Tcheuenden Kemogne.

She and her colleagues who were in charge of the delivery have continued to claim the child was thrown into a septic tank.

“They began giving me excuses. They said, ‘It got rotten, now we are looking for the person who took care of the foetus to no avail’. I told my mother that it’s not true,” she told MMI.

Mother’s safety at risk

Bell Esther Aurelie has said she is now worried about her safety.

Since the baby ‘vanished’ other family members have been denied entry into the hospital.

“I am really upset. Where I am, I can’t even make a voice note because I am under strict control. Even my life is at stake,” she told MMI.

The only family member of the woman who has been able to get into Laquintini hospital is Bell Esther Aurelie.

She told MMI she was only allowed to get in because she had to pay the maternity bills.

“She isn’t safe anymore,” she said, referring to the woman whose baby has been reportedly stolen.

“The medical staff says they have buried the child, without telling them exactly where, and are keeping the lady in the hospital against her wish since Friday last week,” Aurelie said.

The family is planning to take the matter to the Bonanjo State Counsel’s office to seek justice.

A lawyer in charge of the case has told MMI that, no law, gives the hospital the right to bury or get rid of a ‘deceased’ baby without the consent of the parents.

“They don’t have the right to bury without the concent of the family to the best of my knowledge, that’s if at all the baby died as they claim,” he told MMI.

Amina Hilda conttributed to this article