Wednesday, December 30, 2015

MNH ‘informer’ patient refuses to leave centre

KATARE MBASHIRU
A PATIENT who briefed Dr John Magufuli on the failure of MRI and CT-Scan machines at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) has declined to leave the hospital even as doctors insist that he has fully recovered.

The patient, Chacha Makenge, is currently putting up in Ward Number 18 of the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (MOI), and according to the Acting Director, Dr Samwel Swai, he had been discharged since December 10.
According to him, after realising that Makenge was not able to pay for his fare back home in Mugumu, Serengeti District in Mara Region, prompting the hospital to pay his fare but he disappeared without notifying anybody at the facility.
According to MOI Public Relations Officer, Mr Patrick Mvungi, the hospital paid 33,000/- for Makenge’s fare while another 57,000/- was set aside as his pocket money.
But he reportedly disappeared before taking his ticket and the money. "He came back on December 17 and since then he has stayed in the ward and our efforts to convince him to leave the hospital has hit a brick wall,’’ he said.
The acting MOI chief said the hospital was now contemplating calling specialists from the MNH Psychiatric Department to examine the state of his mind to see if he is mentally challenged.
Makenge has been at the hospital for three months and according to Dr Swai, his treatment had cost the facility more than 300,000/-.
But he insisted that he had fully recovered and that he had no any other problems that needed treatment from MOI. On November 9, Dr Magufuli made an impromptu visit to MNH and ordered that Makenge, who had stayed in the hospital for two months, be taken for an immediate CT-Scan.
Makenge had from his hospital bed; briefed Dr Magufuli on what was transpiring at the hospital, including the quality of services and failure of crucial equipment at the facility.
The ‘Daily News’ visited Makenge but he declined any comment regarding his decision to stay on. He did not utter a word despite efforts to convince him to talk.
The Nurse in-Charge of the ward, Ms Lidarose Rutaguza, said Makenge had at one point left his bed and went on to sleep on the floor without stating why he had opted to do so.
"There are times when he would decide to disappear from the hospital and go out for the whole day and come back in the evening without saying what he has been doing out there,’’ she added

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