- A patient at Minna General Hospital was reportedly left unattended for hours due to lack of bed space and absent doctors.
- The patient’s relative accused nurses of abandoning their duty posts and leaving student nurses in charge.
- The family said medical attention was only provided after they raised an alarm and caused a scene.
- The incident has sparked calls for the Niger State government to investigate alleged medical negligence.
Tension is brewing at the Minna General Hospital following an allegation by a patient’s relative that doctors and nurses abandoned their duty posts, leaving a critically ill patient without medical attention for several hours.
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According to the relative, the patient was brought to the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit around 6 pm on Thursday but was not admitted until after 9 pm due to a lack of available beds. During that time, no doctor or senior nurse was reportedly available to attend to emergencies.
“Firstly, there was no bed to admit our patient,” the relative said. “Secondly, at night, the doctors who were supposed to be on duty were nowhere to be found. Even the senior nurses who were supposed to be attending to patients had left their duty post to sleep.”
The man further alleged that before a bed eventually became available, a nurse had already started preparing a referral letter to transfer the patient to another facility.
“They were preparing a referral letter to send us to General M.I. Wushishi Hospital or I.B.B. Specialist Hospital,” he said. “It was only after some time that a bed space was found.”
He added that even after the patient was finally admitted, medical staff did not return to check on their condition throughout the night.
“All through the night, nobody came to check whether we were doing fine or if the patient’s condition had worsened,” he stated.
The relative went on to accuse the senior nurses of leaving the ward under the care of student nurses who were still undergoing practical training.
“They left the student nurses to handle the patients, which is very unprofessional,” he said.
Frustrated by the situation, the man said he had to raise his voice to attract attention before any nurse responded.
“It was when I shouted and caused a scene that some of the students and one nurse came to attend to us,” he explained.
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Describing the experience as “a slap on the noble profession of nursing and medicine,” he urged the Niger State government to probe the hospital’s management and ensure accountability for the alleged negligence.
He emphasized that healthcare workers are entrusted with saving lives and that such conduct, if true, undermines public confidence in the state’s healthcare system.
