Chilling Crime: Suspect nabbed for Bamenda hospital killing, family evokes madness

Police in Bamenda Central city detained a suspect after he removed an oxygen mask from a 54-year-old patient, leading to her death, sources confirmed.

The director, Dr. Denis Nsame, confirmed in a video that the suspect, who claimed to be a Pastor, entered a ward at the Bamenda Regional Hospital and started praying to patients.

But while praying, he reached out to this lady and removed her oxygen, then poured water into her mouth. Unable to live without oxygen, the victim whose name was not mentioned, started convulsing but could not respond to emergency as she passed away.

Suspect’s family claims he is mentally unstable

Shortly after the incident, hospital security chained him while waiting for the police to arrive. He told a crowd that came to the scene that he was not a Pastor but a Christian who came to preach and heal the sick. His family has reportedly told the Police that he is mentally unstable but this has not been proven as he remains in custody.

The bigger picture

The Bamenda Regional Hospital incident draws attention to security surrounding hospitals in Cameroon. Multiple cases of insecurity have recently been reported in health facilities with cases of child theft being recurrent.

This issue has raised security concerns at the Bamenda Regional Hospital with many unanswered questions. How could someone enter the hospital premises and without authorization, be allowed to pray with the patients?

The director explained that the man went in as a carer without the knowledge of nurses and security guards, removed the oxygen and nasogastric tube from the patient and began praying while praying, pouring and sprinkling water on her.

“Unfortunately the patient started agitating, that is how the carers alerted the nurses who came and started questioning the man on who called him to the hospital,” he said. The process of resuscitating the patient for about 25 minutes, unfortunately, yielded no fruit.

The audit report according to the official, shows that the water given to the patient went to a false route and caused “Mendelsohn ” “The water went to the patient’s respiratory tract and caused suffocation ”

Hospitals in Cameroon will have to be vigilant and double efforts to avoid such devastating events.