Published: March 17, 2025
Monrovia – A young Liberian mother, Jamesetta Kugmeh, is demanding justice following what she describes as a life-threatening medical ordeal at ELWA Hospital. Her harrowing experience, detailed in an emotional social media post, has ignited public outrage and renewed scrutiny of Liberia’s maternal healthcare system.
According to Kugmeh, a routine antenatal care (ANC) visit on February 24, 2025, turned into a nightmare that has left her battling multiple organ complications. She claims she was initially diagnosed as post-term and advised to undergo labor induction, despite raising concerns that a similar situation during her first pregnancy had resolved naturally.
“I walked into ELWA Hospital healthy and hopeful, but I am now fighting for my life with irreversible damage,” she lamented.
Kugmeh recounted that after hours of unproductive labor, doctors determined that her cervix was not dilating and recommended an emergency Cesarean section. Despite her partner’s initial refusal, she agreed to the procedure, believing it to be a routine medical intervention.
“I did not know I was accepting my death,” she wrote.
She alleges that a series of medical missteps ensued, including delayed referrals, which resulted in devastating consequences: kidney failure, severe liver damage, a collapsed urethra, the removal of her womb, and extensive burns on her legs and back. She has since undergone eight dialysis sessions and remains unable to pass urine.
“I need answers from ELWA. I want to die knowing why you killed me,” Kugmeh pleaded from her hospital bed at John F. Kennedy Memorial Medical Center, where she is receiving treatment.
Her tragic ordeal has drawn widespread public sympathy and prompted calls for an investigation into ELWA Hospital’s handling of the case. Civil society organizations and women’s rights advocates are pressing the Liberia Medical and Dental Council (LMDC), the Liberian Board of Nursing and Midwifery, and the Ministry of Health to launch an inquiry into the incident.
As of press time, ELWA Hospital has not issued an official response. Attempts to reach hospital authorities for comment were unsuccessful.
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