News / Human Rights

Video shows female patient left in chilly Baltimore wearing only hospital gown

Saturday, 13 January 2018 7:42 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 13 January 2018 10:26 PM ]

Viral video shows patient left at bus stop wearing only hospital gown and socks

The viral video of a recently discharged patient being left outside in the cold wearing only a paper gown in the middle of night in the US city of Baltimore has caused widespread outrage and prompted an investigation at the hospital where she received treatment.

Imamu Baraka was walking by a bus stop in downtown Baltimore on Tuesday night or early Wednesday when he witnessed hospital security guards from the University of Maryland Medical Center dropping off a woman and then walking away.

The young black woman was wearing only a hospital gown and socks in the bone-chilling January weather. The men left her there and simply walked away.

Baraka, who filmed the distressing incident, followed the four men in uniforms as they left the stop with an empty wheelchair.

"Wait, so you all are just going to leave this lady out here with no clothes on?" Baraka can be heard saying in his recording of the incident. "That is not okay."

One of the men replies it was "due to the circumstances of what happened."

“They just left all her stuff out here. This is disgusting that they would just leave her unattended on a bus stop half naked. It’s gotta be a least 40 degrees or colder,” Baraka said.

Imamu Barake was walking past the University of Maryland Medical Center in downtown Baltimore when he saw hospital's security guards wheeling out a patient.

The woman hardly speaks and seems dazed, occasionally crying out. Baraka requests her to sit at the bus stop, where her shoes and two plastic bags full of her belongings lie on the ground.

Hospital officials declined to discuss why the woman was being treated at the hospital and refused to provide details surrounding her discharge.

According to CBS, such incidents are often referred to as “patient dumping.” They usually take place if a patient lacks insurance or financial resources.

Baraka later shared the exchange on Facebook and the video has been viewed by about 3 million people and it got about 55,000 shares.

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