Memory loss patient still in Meru Level Five Hospital 5 years later

She wanders absent-mindedly along the halls of Ward Three at the Meru Level Five Hospital, lost in thought.

She responds only when spoken to and rarely makes long conversations. Conversation with her can be very brief, but it fails to mask the thread of pain, loneliness and suffering that she has faced thus far.

Nurses and doctors at the hospital refer to her as “unknown” and for the last five years she has called the ward her home. The woman, who doctors say is in her 30s, walks with a heavy limp. Her right hand hangs precariously loose.

Doctors believe she suffered a mild stroke that health workers say may have led to memory loss.

found dumped

“She was brought here five years ago, unconscious. She was found dumped at the Kiirua Mission Hospital, with a two-month-old baby. The police and doctors brought her here,” Christine Nthiga, a social worker, told The Standard.

She cannot remember anything about her relatives and/or home.

“She had meningitis and suffered a mild stroke. When she came here she was not even able to walk, so we had to give her medication and physiotherapy. Unfortunately, her baby died,” Regina Karimi, a nursing officer, said.

For five years, the hospital has made attempts to resolve her identity puzzle and find her people, but to no avail.

“We have even taken her to Kiirua, where she was found, but nobody knew her. Nobody has come looking for a missing person.

“Now, she is able to use her hands and bathe, to some degree, but she has to be assisted to put on her clothes,” said Ms Nthiga.

The hospital is now appealing to people who have a missing relative or friend, to visit the facility and check if it is “Unknown”.