SEQUESTRATION OF PATIENTS IN CAMEROONIAN HOSPITALS FOR INSOLVENCY: PERCEPTIONS AND LEGAL ISSUES
1
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A3363
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT:
Context: In Cameroon, the retention of insolvent patients in hospitals raises major ethical, financial and legal issues. This practice particularly affects vulnerable populations, compromises equitable access to care and calls into question the application of legal texts. Studying the perceptions of stakeholders and regulatory frameworks makes it possible to identify dysfunctions, clarify institutional responsibilities and formulate recommendations to protect patients' rights.
METHODS:
The study, conducted from November 2024 to September 2025 in five major hospitals in Yaoundé, adopts a mixed descriptive approach.
RESULTS:
In 2024, the hospitals studied recorded 1,552 cases of patient insolvency (1.9%), primarily in emergency departments (37%), gynaecology (26.4%) and surgery (17.1%), amounting to approximately 130 million CFA francs. Most detained patients were women (62.8%) and young individuals children aged 0–10 years and young adults aged 20–30 years—with a median age of 20. A large proportion were unemployed (39.5%), had no income (41.9%) and lacked health insurance. Patient insolvency in Yaoundé hospitals is driven by poverty, high healthcare costs, limited family support and the absence of effective health insurance, leading to prolonged hospitalisation, interruptions in care, psychosocial distress and serious violations of patient dignity. These situations also generate financial losses for hospitals, overburden healthcare services and place staff in ethical dilemmas between professional humanism and financial constraints. Internal mechanisms for managing indigence remain inadequate, and debt recovery procedures are largely ineffective. The detention of insolvent patients in Cameroonian hospitals constitutes an illegal and extrajudicial practice, comparable to false imprisonment, in violation of fundamental rights protected by national and international legal frameworks.
CONCLUSIONS:
The confinement of insolvent patients in Cameroon illustrates a conflict between financial constraints and fundamental rights. Strengthening social protection systems, effectively implementing legal texts and providing alternatives to hospitalisation are essential for a fair and supportive healthcare system.
Context: In Cameroon, the retention of insolvent patients in hospitals raises major ethical, financial and legal issues. This practice particularly affects vulnerable populations, compromises equitable access to care and calls into question the application of legal texts. Studying the perceptions of stakeholders and regulatory frameworks makes it possible to identify dysfunctions, clarify institutional responsibilities and formulate recommendations to protect patients' rights.
METHODS:
The study, conducted from November 2024 to September 2025 in five major hospitals in Yaoundé, adopts a mixed descriptive approach.
RESULTS:
In 2024, the hospitals studied recorded 1,552 cases of patient insolvency (1.9%), primarily in emergency departments (37%), gynaecology (26.4%) and surgery (17.1%), amounting to approximately 130 million CFA francs. Most detained patients were women (62.8%) and young individuals children aged 0–10 years and young adults aged 20–30 years—with a median age of 20. A large proportion were unemployed (39.5%), had no income (41.9%) and lacked health insurance. Patient insolvency in Yaoundé hospitals is driven by poverty, high healthcare costs, limited family support and the absence of effective health insurance, leading to prolonged hospitalisation, interruptions in care, psychosocial distress and serious violations of patient dignity. These situations also generate financial losses for hospitals, overburden healthcare services and place staff in ethical dilemmas between professional humanism and financial constraints. Internal mechanisms for managing indigence remain inadequate, and debt recovery procedures are largely ineffective. The detention of insolvent patients in Cameroonian hospitals constitutes an illegal and extrajudicial practice, comparable to false imprisonment, in violation of fundamental rights protected by national and international legal frameworks.
CONCLUSIONS:
The confinement of insolvent patients in Cameroon illustrates a conflict between financial constraints and fundamental rights. Strengthening social protection systems, effectively implementing legal texts and providing alternatives to hospitalisation are essential for a fair and supportive healthcare system.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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