The elderly patient was found in a ditch by a member of the public after walking six miles in the rain after going missing from a hospital in County Mayo, Ireland
An elderly patient who vanished from a hospital was found six miles away in a ditch after a gruelling trek through the rain.
The vulnerable man had left Sacred Heart Hospital in Castlebar, County Mayo in Ireland earlier that day. He was discovered on Saturday night by two locals in a remote rural area, lying on his back in a drain with his legs in the air, confused and unable to get up after falling backwards. Clad only in a hospital gown, he was incoherent but mentioned he was searching for his cows.
The Good Samaritans took him to their home and promptly alerted Sacred Heart Hospital. Police confirmed they received a missing person report that evening in Castlebar.
Two officers retrieved the patient from the residence and returned him to the hospital. A spokesperson for the police said: “The missing person was located and the search stood down.”
This isn’t the first time such a distressing event has occurred involving patients from Mayo University Hospital, reports the Irish Mirror. In January 2022, a frantic hunt was initiated when a senior lady disappeared from a hospital during the night. Fortunately, she was later found safe and sound.
Fast forward to a year later, and tragedy struck when a 69-year-old man, disoriented and battling pneumonia, vanished after an extended 42-hour stay in the ER. Tragically, clad only in his vest, pyjama trousers, and slippers amid chilling temperatures ranging from -2 to four degrees, he wandered away.
His body was tragically retrieved from a river in Castlebar two days post disappearing. The Irish Mirror probed the Health Service Executive (HSE) for details on the wellbeing of the patient who went missing on Saturday and whether his kin had been updated.
However, by press time, the query bounced to Saolta University Health Care Group, which oversees Mayo University Hospital, remained unanswered. Adding to the perils, the patient wore nothing reflective and traversed six miles along a dim, serpentine country lane void of streetlights.
Eventually found near a river, in a ditch, it’s said to be a “miracle” by the family who spied him; any longer exposed to the elements, and he might not have survived.