There was a drama at the Emergency Ward of the National Hospital Abuja on Sunday morning when a male patient, suspected to be mentally ill, forced other patients out from the ward.
Hospital authority said that the patient, Hassan, was brought to the hospital more than a month ago by police with a case of memory loss due to injury.
The patient has been continuously disturbing others in the ward both day and night by messing up the ward with urine and faeces.
He, however, went wild on Monday when he began to tear his excreted diapers and eating it , thereby messing up the ward and making it messy for other patients.
The patients and their relatives had to desert the ward as the patient became weird and unpredictable in his acts.
One of the patients in the ward said other patients had been managing the situation since Friday when he was admitted.
She said that the situation was becoming worrisome as the health of other patients and their relatives in the ward might be affected.
Another patient, Mr Isaac Aderemi, who also expressed concern over the situation, said they could not sleep with their eyes closed.
”I am not comfortable with the guy and couldn’t sleep well because I am always afraid that he could harm us in the night,” he said.
He advised the hospital management to keep the patient in an isolated ward rather than leaving him, where he will be disturbing others
Responding, one of the senior officials, who preferred anonymity said that the management was aware of the situation and had been trying everything possible to address it.
The official confirmed that the patient was unconscious as of the time he was brought in by the police, adding that efforts to trace the relatives of the patient thereafter had been unsuccessful.
The official said that the patient who was tied to tame his abnormalities had destroyed two beds.
According to the official, the patient could not be thrown out of the ward until someone can come for him, saying the patient had to be tied down so as not to disturb others.
“The feeding and other responsibilities are being taken care of by the hospital,” the official said.
A security officer who also said he could not comment officially on the issue said that the police were not helping the matter.
He said that two of his men were arrested and detained by the police because of the man.
When contacted the Spokesperson for National Hospital, Dr Tayo Haastrup, visited the ward with the correspondent and apologised to other patients.
Haastrup said the impasse was as a result of miscommunication, promising that immediate action would be taken to address the situation.
