Patient dies by suicide at Coast General Hospital

A patient died by suicide on Sunday at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital (CGTRH) under unclear circumstances amid reports that he was depressed over accumulating medical bill.

The man hanged himself inside Ward 8, where he was recuperating after undergoing surgery. CGTRH Chief Executive Officer Iqbal Khandwalla promised to give more details on the matter.

“It is now a police case. I will give you the information later,” said Dr Khndwalla, but later did not pick up our phone calls.

Patients at Ward 8 who sought anonymity said the man (name withheld, as his next of kin has yet to be notified) complained that he will not be able to raise the hospital bill.

“He was admitted on March 19 after undergoing surgery on his right ribs. On Saturday, he said his family had abandoned him and threatened to take his life,” said a patient at the hospital.

He hanged himself using a nylon rope tied to a metal bar above the hospital bed. It was not clear why the nurse on duty and other patients failed to act and save the man’s life.

Human rights activists led by Commissioner for Human Rights and Justice (CHRJ) CEO Julius Ogogoh called on the police to prosecute those found culpable of negligence.

“It is time that the county conducted a total overhaul of the hospital’s administration. Some managers have overstayed at the facility. It is sad that this happened days after Mombasa County Assembly Speaker raised concerns about the hospital,” said Ogogoh.

The body was removed at CGTRH mortuary. Last week, Mombasa Assembly Speaker, Harub Khatri, claimed that CGTRH had increased the cost of treatment.

“If you are sick and admitted at Coast General Hospital, the possibility of dying is high. The cost of a bed is Sh3,500; everything is expensive,” claimed Khatri at a function attended by Governor Abdulswamad Nassir.  

Sources told The Standard that the patient who had been admitted to the orthopedic ward complained of being neglected by his family.

“We got news that a patient in one of the wards had taken his own. We do not know the reason as to why he decided to end his life," a kiosk operator speaking on condition of anonymity said.

The hospital administration was tight-lipped over the matter, with mortuary personnel confirming that a body found within the hospital had been brought to the mortuary.

Mombasa Urban Police Chief Maxell Agoro, when contacted by The Standard, denied knowledge of the incident but promised to investigate.