The number of abandoned patients at the Naivasha Sub-county Hospital is on the rise, with elderly men being the most affected.
According to hospital managers, at least five patients are abandoned every month, which is adversely affecting service delivery.
Among the patients abandoned at the facility is a middle-aged man identified only as Muiruri. He has lived in the hospital for over two years.
The patient, who has since recovered, was dropped at the hospital's out-patient department by unknown people in 2014 suffering from head injuries.
Since then, the patient, who speaks incoherently and claims to come from Jawatho in Njoro, has remained stuck in the hospital waiting for his relatives.
According to the hospital superintendent, Joseph Mburu, the patient suffered brain injuries that affected his memory.
He said the patient could remember neither where he came from nor who his relatives were.
"He has been in this hospital for over two years now and says that he comes from Jowatho. This makes it hard to trace his family," Dr Mburu said.
Speaking in his office, he expressed concern about the increasing number of abandoned patients in the hospital. He called on relatives with patients abandoned at the hospital to pick them in order to decongest the wards.
"Currently, our male ward is packed to capacity and one of the main reasons is the high number of abandoned patients," he said.
Bernard Kariuki, another patient, described Muiruri as a quiet person who kept to himself and who repeat one word over and over – Jawatho.
"He lies outside in the sun, comes back for his meals before heading to bed in the evening while he waits for his relatives," said Kariuki.
The hospital serves patients from the nearby counties of Narok, Nyandarua and Kiambu.
