Our Viewpoint | Abandoned patients

Northdale Hospital’s experience, reported onThe Witnessfront page yesterday, shows a growing problem of patients being left in hospital after they are ready to go home because families are not taking them back. The report highlights a growing number of patients who are medically fit for discharge but remain in hospital because their families have not come to take them home. In some cases, relatives cannot be traced.

In others, they are unwilling or unable to resume care. As one hospital official noted, patients are being “abandoned”, leaving beds occupied by people who no longer require clinical treatment. At first glance, it is easy to respond with outrage.

The idea of families leaving elderly or vulnerable relatives in hospital touches a raw nerve. These are individuals who, at a late stage in life, depend on care, familiarity and dignity. The emotional toll — feelings of rejection, anxiety and isolation — cannot be overstated.

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However, a closer look at the social problem reveals that many families are dealing with difficult realities — poverty, cramped living conditions, the cost of care and pressure on already stretched households. In some cases, they simply do not have the means, financial, physical or emotional, to cope. This does not change the fundamental issue.

Hospitals are not designed to function as long-term care facilities. Beds are meant for patients who are acutely ill or injured. When they are occupied by those who no longer require treatment, it places further pressure on an already overburdened system and limits access for those in urgent need.

The situation also reflects wider systemic gaps. With social welfare funding under strain and many NGOs facing financial challenges, there are fewer support structures available to bridge the gap between hospital and home. Sadly, there are no simple answers and with ongoing cuts to government spending the responsibility increasingly falls to civil society, and from community and religious organisations that have long carried this responsibility. This shouldn’t be the case in a developmental state such as ours.

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