Children abandon their ailing 81-year-old father In Ogun hospital

A search crew has been sent out by the administration of Babcock University Teaching Hospital in Ilisan Remo to find the children of one of its patients, Mr. Maurice Okpenyong, 81, who was left unattended at the hospital.

This was said in a statement provided to journalists on Saturday by Dr. Joshua Suleiman, the university’s director of communications.

Suleiman stated that Okpenyong was taken to the hospital by his two children, a male and a woman, who had since declined to accompany him home following the hospital’s December 2023 discharge.

According to reports, the patient who was left behind is a native of Obot Akara Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State and was diagnosed with Repeat Suprapublic Cystostomy.

The patient’s medical bill was N399, 320 on December 20, 2023, the day of his discharge; but, because of his ongoing hospital stays, the amount has now increased to N1,279, 350.

The statement said, in part, “The BUTH management is unaware of the patient’s son Lawrence’s whereabouts.

The hospital administration reported that, in vain, it had collaborated with the police in Ilishan, Area F, and Bariga to search for his son at both his official and private addresses.

“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.”

The hospital’s management stated that they decided to make Okpenyong’s situation public in order to make sure that his family could come pick him up, as the hospital was no longer able to safeguard his well-being.

Even though the hospital is still providing for the patient’s maintenance and well-being, the administration reported that the patient had turned violent in addition to being rebellious.

“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 hospital added.