In Cameroon, a newborn baby died on March 10, 2023 in a public hospital in the Littoral region. The incubator in which the infant had been placed caught fire, “ as a result of voltage variations on the electrical network “, according to the prefect of Moungo. He announces that an investigation has been opened for ” release responsibilities “.
This tragedy occurred in the afternoon, March 10, 2023, at the regional hospital of Nkongsamba, a town located 150 km north of Douala. One of the four incubators in the maternity ward catches fire. The flames are brought under control with a fire extinguisher. The fire does not spread. But the little girl who was in the incubator burned to death when she was only one day old. The medical staff present could not get her out in time.
The prefect of the department of Moungo, Yves Bertrand Noël Ndjana, went on site with the Regional Delegate of Public Health of the Littoral, dispatched by the Minister of Health. It evokes an electrical fire. The network was unstable that day in Nkongsamba.
The prefect announces an investigation and recalls that the other babies cared for in the same service that day were spared. And he says “ conveying a message of comfort from the government to the family “. Psychological care is being put in place. Hospital staff are also in shock.
” The minimum in a hospital is that the electrical risk is managed »
Enéo, the company in charge of electricity distribution in Cameroon, presented in a statement on March 11 its condolences to the family, citing investigations involving “ all competent authorities “.
Philippe Nanga, from the NGO Un Monde Avenir, denounces the state of governance of health infrastructures: ” We know that we have untimely power cuts in Cameroon. The minimum in a hospital is that the electrical risk is managed […]. Buildings at risk must be equipped with alternative equipment to ensure the continuity of electrical power. »
On Twitter, Internet users challenge the health authorities. The civil society organization Mandela Center calls it ” incomprehensible “the fact that the Minister of Health has not reacted himself for four days on the circumstances” of this tragic death of a baby in an incubator “.