MONROVIA — A young mother is dead. A family is in mourning. A nation is outraged. And yet, the Liberia Medical and Dental Council (LMDC)—the body responsible for regulating medical practice in the country—has offered no public comment, no inquiry, and, by all accounts, no investigation into the alleged medical malpractice that reportedly caused the death of Jamesetta Kugmeh.
Jamesetta, 28, died on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center after a months-long struggle that began with what should have been a routine antenatal check-up at ELWA Hospital. Her death, now confirmed by family and friends, follows a haunting digital trail of Facebook posts and public pleas in which she chronicled her medical ordeal and begged Liberia’s health authorities for an investigation into what she believed was surgical malpractice and systemic neglect.
Despite direct appeals from the late Kugmeh herself—posted publicly on social media—and a formal inquiry sent by The Liberian Investigator on the day of her death, the regulatory body has yet to issue a single public response.
From Routine Care to Tragedy
Jamesetta first visited ELWA Hospital in late February for a standard antenatal care (ANC) appointment. There, doctors informed her that she was more than 44 weeks pregnant—well beyond full term—and recommended labor induction. Her protests that she experienced a similar post-term situation during her first pregnancy and had waited for natural labor were dismissed.
“They hold me there,” she said on Facebook. That evening, she was sent to the ward for induction, which failed. By the next day, her cervix had not dilated, and she was told she needed a cesarean section.
“I accepted because I know C/S is just a minor thing,” she said.
But what followed was far from minor. She said the surgery—performed by doctors she claimed she didn’t know—left her with a litany of life-threatening complications: kidney failure, a collapsed urethra, severe burns on her legs and back, and ultimately the removal of her womb. “Not knowing I’m accepting my death,” she wrote in a chilling post from her hospital bed.
Her pain, both physical and emotional, only intensified after she was transferred to JFK Hospital for further care. There, she underwent eight sessions of dialysis, still with no urine output. “I want to die knowing why you kill me,” she stated, directing her cry toward ELWA Hospital and the broader health authorities she believed failed her.
A Dying Plea for Justice
Before her death, Jamesetta made a public call for intervention. She tagged the Liberia Medical and Dental Council, the Liberian Board of Nursing & Midwifery, and the Ministry of Health in her posts, pleading for an investigation.
“Please look into my case,” she begged. “I am dying slowly.”
On May 20—the very morning she died—The Liberian Investigator (TLI) sent a formal inquiry to the LMDC seeking answers. TLI posed several direct questions:
- Had the LMDC launched a formal investigation?
- Were medical records requested from ELWA and JFK?
- Did the LMDC reach out to Jamesetta or her family while she sought treatment in Ghana?
- What steps would be taken now that she had passed?
Not only did the LMDC fail to respond—the inquiry wasn’t even acknowledged.
Inside the Silence
Family sources, speaking under condition of anonymity, told The Liberian Investigator that no investigation was ever initiated while Jamesetta was alive because she had traveled abroad for advanced treatment. Authorities at the LMDC reportedly claimed that cases are heard when the complainant is available.
Critics argue that this stance reflects a troubling abdication of the LMDC’s responsibilities. “How can a woman cry for justice, document her own decline, call out the system—and still be ignored?” asked one critic. “It’s beyond disgraceful. It’s dangerous.”
The LMDC’s inaction stands in stark contrast to ELWA Hospital’s earlier claim that it was cooperating with authorities. In a March 2025 statement, Rev. James Galway, ELWA’s administrator, said the hospital was conducting an internal review and would work closely with the LMDC. Since then, however, there has been no public update.
Public Outrage Boils Over
On Monday, May 19, just hours before her passing, family members and friends staged a protest seeking justice for Jamesetta. They held placards reading “Justice for Jamesetta” and “Our Health System is Bleeding.” Many believe the young mother’s death could—and should—have been prevented.
“She went to bring life into this world and lost hers instead,” said a sobbing cousin who joined the demonstration. “We will not stop until someone takes responsibility.”
Social media platforms were flooded with tributes and anger. “She cried for help and no one listened. She died asking why,” read one widely shared post.
“Don’t Let Them Get Away with It”
In private messages shared with The Liberian Investigator, Jamesetta appeared to sense the end was near. She urged her family to demand an autopsy and not allow those responsible to escape justice.
“Hello family, I don’t pray for any bad thing to happen to me but just in case I don’t make it out of this, you people should please request for an autopsy to check my abdomen properly and know the actual cause of death. I’m suspecting a foul play in my medical reports both in Ghana and Liberia. I’m begging you please,” she stated in the private message seen by TLI.
“Please don’t allow these people that did this to me to go free,” she wrote. “There is a reason why my kidneys failed and I never had kidney problems before.”
Discussion about this post