Thursday 19 / December / 2024
Muscat: Ibri Hospital’s oldest patient, Joukha Al Hinai, who was in the hospital for almost 25 years passed away on Wednesday.
Contrary to news on social media, which said that she had fallen off a mountain, hospital officials confirmed that Al Hinai passed away from natural causes after being bedridden for nearly 25 years.
According to an official at Ibri hospital, al Hinai has been in the hospital since it opened in 1995 and passed away on Wednesday in the premises, from where she was taken for burial at 8am.
Al Hinai fell off a tree at Ibri in 1993, breaking her spine. This led to her being hospitalised in Tanuum Hospital.
However, Al Hinai outlasted the hospital itself, which was converted into a health centre, and was transferred to Ibri hospital.
With time, her condition worsened and turned into paralysis, meaning that Al Hinai needed to be moved around in a wheelchair. During the time between 1995 and Wednesday, Al Hinai never returned home and only left the hospital for check-ups or when she was diagnosed with cancer later in life.
The hospital official said, “Her family visited occasionally but due to her fun-loving spirit, her bed was filled with visitors from nurses, doctors, and even other patients who adored keeping her company. They visited her as if they were her relatives.”
Al Hinai also received visits from persons who were from Al Sharqiyah but lived in Al Buraimi. They would stop to visit whenever they passed by and would sometimes travel just to see her. Others who heard about her would also visit her.
The official added that Al Hinai’s patience was unique, as she remained kind to others and accepted her situation. She was also generous.
Whenever someone visited her, the official said he or she would find that she had juice always handy and would not let guests leave until they had either juice or water.
The official said that Al Hinai’s passing marked a tragic day, and that the nurses had shed tears while mourning her loss.
