By Davis Mugabi
A mother is grieving the passing of her son, Ezekiel.
Miriam Nampeera says that her child died on May 3, 2024, at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital after two days in the hands of medics at the facility.
Nampeera cites negligence and says that attempts to seek justice have proven futile.
She took the matter to X (formerly Twitter), and this is what she says:
My boy fell sick for only 2 days, 1st & 2nd May 2024 only to pass away on 3rd May 2024 at around 2:40 am at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital due to medical negligence.
As I speak of now, my steps to pursue justice have been suppressed by the hospital which had actually failed to apologize and no medical form has been issued to me besides a provisional death certificate which was only issued to me at 7:30 PM after heavily pulling ropes from 2:40 am when my son died. What the provisional form contains is contradicting with what really happened.
I was denied an opportunity to do post mortem after attempting to go to Gulu CPS to get a post mortem request form as had been requested for by the pathologist, when I reached Gulu CPS, the OC station Afande Kidega saw me and requested to hear my story and I narrated it all. He said there was negligence. He made a call to homicide to handle my issue urgently and he directed us to the homicide unit at Gulu CPS and he farther came and found us waiting outside, he entered and told the people inside that I have just lost my child at GRRH, that the matter is urgent and they should handle it with immediate effect.
He referred us to legal advisor who wasn’t in office also and we called but he didn’t pick our calls. GRRH was in bad need of me dragging me into negotiation which they fully controlled, failed to apologize and actually gave us no records of the same.
A call came, my case was dismissed, without the post mortem request form that I had come to request for only to be referred to CID regional, I went there and didn’t find him in office, found ways and got his number talked to him requesting for post mortem request form, he asked for the story which he narrated, he told us he can’t help us in any way refering us to police legal advisor who wasn’t in office also and we called but he didn’t…
What happened
My boy fell sick on 1st and took him to Pole laboratory who tested for malaria and CBC and they told me the results were okay.
I proceeded to Flama hospital that very day where they repeated malaria where which was still negative and Dr went on to examine the boy and checked his mouth deeply and told me the boy had tensolitis. They wrote medicine which I bought.
The following day the boy begun vomiting and I passed via Pole laborities and malaria was negative proceeding to Gulu Regional Referral Hospital where I found Dr Martha and other Burgos who I know very well.
Imagine the hospital & it’s team being too proud to apologize. I asked them, how about you apologize because you real see the level of negligence, they told me ‘but we have said t’s a pity” My friends, please help me determine if ‘it’s a pity amounts to apology’ JUSTICE.
I took steps to search for contact of hospital director Dr Peter he chose to ignore my messages even they show that they were delivered & read, a sample is a pic among others here. Friends what do we call this, pride? Or what how can one find healing with such attitude.
Ministry of Health
Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the Senior Public Relations Officer, Ministry of Health urged the grieving mother to petition authorities for investigation and action.
“It is unfortunate and so sad to lose a loved one. Kindly write a formal complaint to Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council for investigations and action,” Ainebyoona said.
