The family of a 42-year-old man, Kehinde Albert, has appealed to the public for assistance in locating him after he went missing shortly after leaving the General Hospital in Gbagada, Lagos.
Kehinde was last seen on February 27 after receiving treatment at the hospital, where he had gone to undergo medical tests in preparation for a rehabilitation programme.
Speaking with journalists, the missing man’s elder brother, Olatunde Albert, said Kehinde had struggled with alcoholism for years and was recently being prepared for admission into a rehabilitation centre.
He explained that the family had taken Kehinde and his twin brother to the hospital on February 26 for preliminary medical examinations required for the rehabilitation programme.
“On February 26, I took him to the hospital with his twin brother because we were planning to enrol him in a rehabilitation programme for alcoholism. The centre asked us to conduct some medical tests first,” Olatunde said.
According to him, Kehinde suddenly developed seizures while at the hospital and had to be admitted for emergency treatment.
“When we arrived at the hospital, he suddenly started having seizures and convulsions. The medical team attended to him immediately and admitted him. Later that same day, his condition improved after treatment,” he said.
Olatunde added that he returned the following day to purchase prescribed medication, leaving Kehinde in the care of his twin brother.
However, he said he later encountered the twin brother outside the hospital and became concerned.
“I was surprised when I saw his twin brother on the street later that night. When I asked why he left Kehinde behind, he told me that hospital staff had chased them away,” he said.
He explained that when he returned to the hospital to make inquiries, officials gave a different account of the incident.
“They told me that Kehinde and his twin brother had attempted to run away several times but were stopped by security.
According to them, while they were checking their files, Kehinde managed to sneak out of the hospital premises around 8 p.m. on February 27,” he said.
Olatunde said the family has been searching for him since then without success.
“We have been looking for him everywhere since that day. We already lost our mother last year, and now Kehinde is missing. We are pleading with the public to help us find him,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Medical Director of the General Hospital, Gbagada, Dr. Olusegun Babafemi, said the patient was not missing from the hospital but had insisted on leaving after his condition stabilised.
Babafemi explained that Kehinde had initially come to the hospital for routine tests but nearly collapsed while at the laboratory.
“He came for medical tests, but he almost collapsed at the laboratory. Our emergency team quickly moved him to the emergency unit where he was stabilised,” Babafemi said.
He added that after receiving treatment, Kehinde’s twin brother insisted they wanted to leave the hospital despite medical advice.
“The medical staff advised that further tests were necessary and recommended that a cardiologist and psychiatrist examine him. However, the brother insisted they did not want to stay,” he said.
According to Babafemi, the twin brother later attempted to leave with Kehinde without completing the discharge process.
“The nurse raised an alarm when he tried to leave with him. Security personnel chased them and brought them back to the hospital,” he explained.
Babafemi said the hospital later informed them that they were free to leave if they signed a discharge form, but they declined to do so and became agitated.
“They were told that the hospital is not a detention facility and that they could leave if they signed a discharge form. However, they refused to sign and still insisted on leaving,” he said.
He added that hospital staff even assisted them financially when it was discovered they did not have enough money to complete their hospital registration.
“I asked him how much he had for the registration fee. He said he had N500, while the fee was N1,000. Our Chief Security Officer gave him the remaining N500 so he could complete the payment,” Babafemi said.
The medical director stated that Kehinde was eventually discharged after completing the necessary process.
“About two hours after leaving, the brother returned to say he could not find him. Once a patient is discharged, the hospital is no longer responsible for the person unless the patient is admitted,” he added.
Babafemi said the hospital had circulated Kehinde’s photograph internally and advised the family to search places he frequently visited.
“He may have gone to a location familiar to him,” he said.
