The Walewale Municipal Hospital has discharged a 30-year-old suspected thief, Sambor Umar, after his family declined to take responsibility for his continued care.
Hospital authorities say they tried for more than a week to reach Umar’s relatives, but all attempts proved futile as calls went unanswered.
Umar was admitted in an unconscious state after sustaining deep machete wounds, reportedly inflicted by residents of Wulugu in the North East Region who allegedly caught him during an attempted theft.
Medical staff managed to stabilise and resuscitate him, but efforts to secure family support for his recovery were unsuccessful.
Sources say the family’s refusal is linked to a previous incident in which Umar’s elder brother stood as surety for him in an earlier theft case—an experience that reportedly left the family financially and emotionally strained.
With no relatives showing up and no legal grounds to keep him confined, hospital administrators discharged Umar, raising concerns over the growing trend of abandoned patients and the burden it places on health facilities in the region.
