A mother in Buea has accused medical staff at the Regional Hospital of discharging her and her newborn too early after delivery, a decision she says led to serious health complications for her child and long-term medical and financial strain on her family.
Speaking to MMI News on condition of anonymity for security reasons, the mother said she was discharged just eight hours after giving birth to her first child, despite pleading with doctors to allow her baby to remain under observation.
“I told the doctor not to discharge me because my baby was just a few hours old and had not had a proper check,” she said. “I begged to stay for a few days so my son could be properly examined, but they refused.”
She said the doctor warned her that if she insisted on staying, she would be forced to sleep on the floor — even though she had been admitted to a private ward and was willing to cover all medical costs.
“I told him I had no problem with the bills, I just wanted my baby to be checked properly,” she recalled. “He said no, he had to sign my discharge.”
“The treatment should have started immediately after birth”
According to the mother, her baby was sent home without receiving treatment that should have been administered shortly after delivery.
“The doctor discharged me not knowing that my son ought to have been placed on treatment immediately after birth,” she said.
Four days later, her child developed a high fever and began convulsing. Alarmed, she rushed back to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed the baby with severe neonatal jaundice, a condition linked to dangerously high bilirubin levels.
“It was then they told me my son had high hemoglobin, jaundice,” she said. “The treatment that should have been given immediately after birth was now being given when the illness had already gone deep into his body.”
Years of treatment, millions spent
The mother says the delayed treatment has had lasting consequences. Since the diagnosis, she and her husband have moved between hospitals and therapy centres in search of care for their child.
“My husband and I have spent millions,” she said. “From one hospital to another, from one therapy home to another.”
She believes the outcome could have been avoided if her baby had been kept under observation after birth.
“This one decision — refusing to let my son stay for proper observation — has cost us so much,” she said. “Physically, emotionally, financially.”
Claims of a wider pattern
Beyond her personal experience, the mother alleges that early discharge of newborns is common at the facility and that many families return days later with critically ill babies.
“If you go to the pediatric ward where newborns are admitted, you will see that most of these babies were discharged the same day they were born,” she said. “After two or three days at home, parents rush back with them.”
She added that some babies do not survive, while others are left with permanent disabilities.
“Some of these children end up dying. Others end up disabled,” she said.
Calling for policy change, not punishment
The mother said she is not seeking justice for herself at this time but wants systemic change to protect other families.
“For now, I don’t want justice,” she told MMI News. “I just want the lives of innocent children to be safe.”
She is calling for hospitals to adopt a policy that prevents the discharge of newborns less than 72 hours after birth, particularly for babies delivered without caesarean section.
“I am begging that this policy of discharging newborns the same day they are born should change,” she said. “Please use your platform to campaign for the safety of newborn babies.”
Hospital response
MMI News has not yet received a response from the Regional Hospital Buea regarding the allegations raised in this report. The media outlet remains open to publishing any clarification or response from hospital authorities.
Editor’s note: MMI News has withheld the identity of the mother to protect her safety. Her account has been published in the public interest, with the aim of encouraging discussion and reforms around newborn care and postnatal observation.
