Mrs Koumate Monique was a cameroonian woman pregnant of twins. On the day of delivery she went to the hospital, but was denied medical attention, since she had no money.
She died at the gates of one of the main public hospitals of the city Douala (Hopital la Quintinie). However the babies in her womb were still alive. The niece of the deceased demanded that at least the lives of the babies be saved by immediate medical intervention, and she would pay for the intervention later on, but all to no avail.
This poor niece, alone with the deceased aunt and the babies moving in the womb, felt she was obliged to operate her aunt herself. She bought a blade in a shop close by, and in the midst of an amazed crowd cut the womb of the dead woman, in an attempt to save the babies.
One of the twins came out dead. The other was still breathing but some minutes later on died.
In recent weeks/months, there has been a huge number of people dying at the gates of Cameroonian public hospitals, because they did not have the money to be taken care of.
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