Kenya: 72-year-old man fatally shoots himself while waiting for treatment at hospital

Authorities in Kenya said a 72-year-old man shot himself on the premises of a Nairobi hospital after he became agitated because the drugs that were supposed to be used to treat him were not available at the health facility’s emergency section.

According to The Star, Abdala Mohamed was in possession of a gun and inside a private car when he shot himself in the chin on Monday. Witnesses said Mohamed initially arrived at the hospital’s emergency section to receive medical attention.

And though the drugs to be used for his treatment were not available at the hospital’s emergency section, arrangements were made to get them. But Mohamed became angry as a result and began making phone calls. Police and witnesses said he subsequently grabbed his pistol and opened fire on himself. 

Mohamed later succumbed to his injuries. An investigation into the incident has since been launched, with police stating that suicide cases have been on the ascendancy in the East African nation.

In 2020, the number of reported suicide cases was 174 while 196 incidents of such nature were recorded in 2019, The Star reported. There were also 302 and 421 reported suicide cases in 2018 and 2017 respectively. 2016 also saw 302 reported cases of suicide. Police reported that most of the individuals who took their own lives were male.

Police also expressed their worries about the ascendancy of suicide-related deaths as they receive up to two reports of such cases every day.