A young pregnant woman has reportedly died in Yaounde because she could not immediately pay the hospital charges demanded before treatment.
The victim, identified as Melissa Essomba, believed to be around 22 years old, reportedly collapsed while sitting for the BAC examination in Yaounde. Witnesses say she was rushed to the Nkoldongo District Hospital, where medical personnel allegedly demanded an upfront payment of 8,000 CFA before attending to her condition.
Sources say the young woman, who was heavily pregnant and already in distress, only had 2,000 CFA on her at the time. Despite pleading for help, hospital staff reportedly refused to begin treatment until the full amount was paid.
In a desperate attempt to save her life and that of her unborn child, Melissa allegedly offered her mobile phone as collateral while she searched for the remaining balance. The proposal was reportedly rejected as hospital workers insisted on cash payment before any medical procedure could commence.
Unable to receive emergency care, the young student reportedly left the hospital in pain to search for the remaining 6,000 CFA. Moments after returning with the money, she reportedly collapsed again and died shortly afterwards despite attempts to revive her.
The incident has triggered widespread outrage across social media, with many Cameroonians accusing the Biya regime of overseeing a healthcare system where poverty has become a death sentence.
The Nkoldongo District Hospital, located in Yaounde IV, is one of the public health institutions serving thousands of residents in the French Cameroun capital. The hospital has previously presented itself as a facility offering emergency healthcare services around the clock. However, the latest allegations have once more raised serious questions about corruption, negligence and the treatment of poor patients in state hospitals.
Melissa Essomba’s death has also revived memories of the 2016 Laquintinie Hospital tragedy in Douala, where Monique Koumateke died after allegedly being abandoned by medical personnel. Images of her attempting to deliver twins outside the hospital shocked Africa and exposed the harsh realities inside French Cameroun’s public hospitals.
Rights activists and ordinary citizens are now demanding an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Melissa’s death. Many say the repeated incidents prove that human life under the Biya regime is increasingly measured by financial capacity rather than medical urgency.
For many across Ambazonia and French Cameroun alike, the latest tragedy stands as yet another painful symbol of a broken public system where vulnerable citizens continue to perish because they cannot afford basic healthcare.
