A man claiming to be a prophet is under detention pending investigations after he reportedly caused the death of a patient under oxygen at the Bamenda Regional Hospital.
The man, whose identity remains unknown, walked into the female medical ward of the Bamenda Regional Hospital and removed the oxygen from a critically ill female patient.
The self-proclaimed prophet, MMI learnt from witnesses, allegedly prayed for other patients in the ward, before going to the victim.
His action caused the death of the patient, prompting the intervention of security forces, who arrested him.
Bamenda Hopital Director Explains
In a reaction following the unfortunate incident, Dr. Denis Nsame, Director of the Regional Hospital, described the incident as unfortunate.
He explained: “On Sunday, 15 December 2024, an unfortunate incident happened at the Regional Hospital Bamenda in the female medical ward. An unidentified person acting as if he was a carer, entered the ward in the name of a prophet and without the knowledge of the nurses on duty and started praying for patients.”
“In the course of praying, he got to this unfortunate patient — a 54-year-old woman, and removed the oxygen and naso-gastric tube that was administered on this patient.
“He sprinkled some water on her and gave her some to drink. Unfortunately the patient started agitating after drinking the water.”
The carers reportedly alerted the nurses who were giving treatment in the other ward that their patient was in distress,” Dr Nsame said.
The nurses, he stated, rushed to the ward and saw this man asking who he was and his mission.
He said the nurses “started resuscitating her and called the doctors. Twenty-five minutes later, the patient did not make it.”
Audit Report
The action of the self-proclaimed prophet complicated the volatile situation of the patient, leading to her demise.
“The water given to the patient went into the false road — respiratory tract and suffocated the patient. Unfortunately we could not recover the patient after resuscitation,” the Bamenda hospital director further explained.
Culprit Arrested
The news, which went viral on social media in the afternoon of Sunday, caught public attention and left many in consternation.
Amateur footage shows the pastor handcuffed after hospital guards nabbed him.
They handed him to the judicial police for investigations.
Security of Patients in the Hospital Questioned
Sunday’s happening at the Bamenda Regional hospital has raised questions about the security of patients at the hospital.
People worry about how an individual can walk freely into a health facility and cause havoc unnoticed.
Many have questioned where the hospital’s clinical and security staff were when the self-proclaimed pastor came into the ward.
Worst of all is an allegation from onlookers that the alleged culprit is mentally unstable.
Critics attribute it to carelessness, which is commonly reported in government hospitals.
It is easy for unidentified persons who claim to be men of God to gain access into government health facilities.
“I remember going to a government hospital in Bamenda and saw somebody we know in the quarter as school teacher preaching in the ward and even collecting offerings,” a city dweller told MMI.
“These hospitals need to sit up and guard against these impostors.”
