By Juliet Ezeh
The disappearance of a 42-year-old man, Kehinde Albert, after a visit to the General Hospital, Gbagada, Lagos, has sparked conflicting accounts between his family and the hospital management.
Kehinde, who had been undergoing medical evaluation ahead of a planned rehabilitation programme for alcoholism, has not been seen since February 27.
According to his elder brother, Olatunde Albert, the family had taken Kehinde to the hospital on February 26 for preliminary medical tests required before enrolling him in a rehabilitation centre.
Olatunde said Kehinde, who had struggled with alcohol addiction for years, began experiencing seizures shortly after arriving at the hospital and was admitted for treatment.
“He suddenly started having seizures and convulsions while we were at the hospital, so the doctors admitted him immediately,” he said.
He explained that Kehinde later stabilised after receiving treatment, prompting him to leave the facility briefly the next day to purchase prescribed medication, while the patient remained in the care of his twin brother.
However, the situation took an unexpected turn later that evening when Olatunde said he saw the twin brother outside the hospital premises.
He said the brother told him hospital staff had chased them away, prompting concern about Kehinde’s whereabouts.
“When I returned to the hospital to find out what happened, the staff gave a different explanation,” he said.
According to him, hospital officials claimed Kehinde had repeatedly attempted to leave the hospital and eventually slipped away from the premises while staff were attending to other matters.
Olatunde said the family has been searching for him since then.
“We have been looking for him everywhere since that night. After losing our mother last year, this has been very difficult for us,” he added while appealing to members of the public for information that could help locate him.
But the Medical Director of General Hospital, Gbagada, Dr. Olusegun Babafemi, dismissed claims that the patient disappeared under unclear circumstances.
Babafemi explained that Kehinde had visited the hospital for routine tests but almost collapsed at the laboratory, prompting emergency medical intervention.
“He was quickly moved to the emergency unit where he was resuscitated by the medical team,” he said.
According to him, the patient later stabilised but his twin brother insisted they wanted to leave the hospital despite medical advice that further tests were required.
He added that the brother initially attempted to leave the premises with Kehinde without completing the discharge process but was intercepted by security personnel.
“They were told they could leave if they signed a discharge form indicating they were leaving against medical advice, but they refused to sign,” Babafemi said.
The hospital director further stated that staff even assisted the pair with a small payment needed to complete their registration after discovering they did not have enough money.
After completing the process, he said, Kehinde was formally discharged from the facility.
Babafemi said the twin brother later returned to the hospital about two hours afterwards to report that he could no longer find him.
He stressed that once a patient is discharged, the hospital is no longer responsible for their movements.
The hospital management has since circulated Kehinde’s photograph internally while advising the family to search areas he frequently visited.
Meanwhile, the family continues to appeal to the public for assistance in locating him.
Juliet Ezeh is the founder and chief reporter at Westbridge Reporters with over 7 years of experience in journalism. She covers crime, industry, policy, and social developments, delivering timely and accurate reporting.