Coast Guard Base, Montserrado County – Panic and chaos erupted at Starbase Hospital late Monday night when a patient suspected to be infected with rabies reportedly became violently unstable.
By Jaheim T. Tumu | [email protected]
Eyewitnesses say the patient, allegedly bitten by a dog nearly two months ago, had been admitted into a shared ward alongside other patients. The individual began acting aggressively, shouting threats, and destroying property within the hospital premises.
“He burst the front glass door, broke hospital machines, and started threatening everyone. The entire place is smoky. We are not safe,” said patient Jallah Aloysius, who filmed a now widely circulated video showing the destruction inside the hospital.
The footage shows broken glass, damaged medical equipment, and smoke-filled hallways. Patients can be seen running outside the facility, visibly shaken and seeking safety. According to Jallah, medical personnel were overwhelmed and quickly abandoned the scene.
“The nurses ran away. Even the doctors ran for their lives. Nobody was here to help us. The man said he would burn down the building—and he tried,” Jallah said.
Witnesses say the suspected rabies patient displayed erratic behavior before smashing televisions and diagnostic tools. He then reportedly fled the hospital grounds and entered the nearby community, raising concerns over a potential public health risk.
“He is in the community now. We don’t know who he will target next. If he bites someone else, the virus could spread,” Jallah warned.
Rabies is one of the most deadly viral diseases, with symptoms such as extreme aggression, hallucinations, fear of water, and paralysis. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers it almost universally fatal once symptoms begin to show. WHO protocols recommend strict isolation and immediate medical treatment for any suspected rabies case—standards that were clearly not observed in this incident.
Patients and eyewitnesses have criticized the hospital’s decision to place the suspected rabies patient in a general ward, calling it a serious breach of infection control procedures.
“You don’t mix a rabies patient with other patients. What kind of system is this? We’re already sick and suffering, and then they expose us to something worse,” one woman said in the video.
Patients also reported that no check-ups or rounds were conducted overnight as nurses and doctors remained absent from the wards out of fear. The lack of security and emergency preparedness at the facility has left patients questioning how such negligence was allowed to happen at a major health institution.
FrontPageAfrica reached out to Minister of Health Dr. Louise M. Kpoto for comment, but no official response was provided as of press time.
Meanwhile, patients at Starbase Hospital are calling on the government and international health partners to intervene swiftly.
“We are begging the emergency team, the Ministry of Health, and the National Public Health Institute of Liberia to help us. We are sick, scared, and unsafe,” one patient said.
