Two patients have died after their alleged rejection by doctors at the Trauma Centre of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi.

The victims’ families, who spoke with reporters in Bauchi on Wednesday, alleged that when they took their patients to the centre, they were rejected on the excuse that there was no bed space, a development that led to their death.

Mr. Amos Sunday, a resident of Rafin Zurfi, a community in Bauchi Local Government, who is a relation of one of the deceased, told reporters that the incident occurred on January 6.

He said that he took his brother, Sunday Olaniran, to the centre when he had cardiac arrest, but he was rejected for lack of space.

“On our way to Ni’ima Specialist Hospital, he died as he was confirmed ‘brought in dead’ (BID).”

A civil servant, who spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity, said: “An unidentified boy was knocked down by a car yesterday at Buzaye village along Bauchi-Jos road.”

He said the boy, who was brought to the centre, was not attended to until he died on the bed.

He said that when they got to the centre, the doctor on duty told them to go to another facility due to lack of bed space, adding: “Because of the critical condition of the boy, we looked around, got a bed, laid him, but the doctor yelled at us that he would not attend to the boy because we crossed our boundaries by insisting.”

The middle-aged civil servant said: “The most annoying thing was that for more than 30 minutes we begged this doctor to save the life of the boy, but instead, he blocked his ears with the earpiece of his phone and neglected us until the boy died.’’

Following reports of alleged negligence by doctors at the centre, the hospital has set up an investigative committee to look into the allegations.

The Chief Medical Director (CMD), Dr. Alkali Mohammed, who confirmed that he received a report that a patient brought to the centre was rejected by the doctor on duty, leading to his death, said that the committee was constituted to investigate the incident.

He said that anyone found culpable would be punished in accordance with the code of conduct of the medical profession.

Mohammed, however, said that the centre was no longer big enough to contain the flow of patients on a daily basis, adding that efforts were on to establish another centre that would complement the present one.

He said other hospitals should expand their trauma and emergency centres. (The Nation)

Update news