Family Abandons Sick 81-year-old Man In Ogun Hospital

The management of Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ilisan Remo, Ogun State has disclosed that the family of one of its patients, 81-year-old Mr Maurice Okpenyong, has abandoned him at its medical facility since December, last year.

The University’s Director of Communication, Dr Joshua Suleiman who disclosed this in a statement said that efforts made to get the children to come get their father have not been successful.

Suleiman said Okpenyong was brought to the hospital by his children (a man and a woman), adding that after he was discharged in December 2023, the children absconded leaving their father in the care of staff.

The statement added that the abandoned patient, a native of Obot Akara Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, reportedly came in with a Repeat Suprapublic Cystostomy diagnosis.

It states that the medical bill of the patient as of December 20, 2023, when he was discharged was N399, 320 but his continuous stay in the hospital till now has raised the bills to N1,279,350.

“The whereabouts of the patient’s son (Lawrence) and daughter are unknown to the management of BUTH.

“The hospital management said it had teamed up with the police in Ilishan, Area F, and Bariga to look for his son at both his official residence and private address without success.

“The patient’s unpaid total bill was N399, 320, when his discharge was first signed on December 20, 2023.

“But the refusal of his children to come forward to take him home, and his continued stay and upkeep in the hospital has increased the patient’s total bill to N1,279,350 as of March 20, 2024.

“As of the time of this report, the sum of N180,000 only had been paid by the patient or children,” it said.

The hospital’s management said its decision to make Okpenyong’s case public was to ensure that the patient’s family came to take him home as the hospital could no longer guarantee his welfare.

The management also said the patient had not only become unruly but also abusive, even as the hospital continues to cater for his upkeep and well-being.

“Sometimes he removes his urine bag and urinates on the floor, and the whole place smells. This is why we have placed him on watch because we are afraid that he may abscond,” the statement said.