Three-day-old baby stolen from hospital in Yaounde.

According to eyewitness testimonies, the mother of the missing baby whose name we could not immediately get, stepped out of the hospital ward to buy food at a nearby restaurant.

The mother of the child is quoted to have said she had no one to look after her baby. It is said within minutes after she returned, the child was nowhere to be found. The distraught mother was left inconsolable. 

The emotional situation also caught the attention of residents of the Ekoudoum who joined in a spontaneous protest. To pacify the protesters, a team of gendarme officers was deployed to open investigations into the matter.

Piercing screams and heartbreaking sobs filled the air many especially women joined the mother of the missing child in crying.

The uniformed officers who stormed the scene also calmed the flaring tempers of some residents of Ekoundoum and relatives of the missing baby who were becoming restive.

In the face of the pain and anger displayed, the officers managed to talk to a few persons to understand what had actually transpired.

One of those who rushed to the hospital whose only name The Guardian Post got as Marie, said the happenstance “is unacceptable”.

Our respondent said a hospital is akin to an environment of care and safety not a place where women come to lose their kids.

“It is imperative that measures be taken to prevent this from happening again. Medical staff must be more vigilant, and safety protocols must be strengthened," Marie stated. 

A bystander, who also identified himself only as Pierre, said the situation could have been avoided if the hospital staff were more attentive. He called for investigations to establish the truth.

Meantime, the management of the Baptist Hospital Ekoudoum is yet to issue a statement in relation to the incident. 

By Bernis Mfomo (Journalism student on internship)

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0: 3191 of August 06, 2024