Shot student seeks Shs12m for surgery
Ann Nabusoba cannot walk for long distances. Photo by David Kazungu
What you need to know:
Dr Sam Nina, an orthopaedic surgeon at Mbale hospital, confirms that Nabusoba was recommended for knee surgery, which could not be done at the facility
MANAFWA. In June 2013, thugs broke into Ann Nabusoba’s family home and shot her mother and two brothers to death. Nabusoba and another brother survived with serious injuries and were taken to Mbale Regional Referral Hospital for treatment.
Nabusoba underwent surgery in her legs. However, the surgery did not go as she expected.
“In the right leg, the metal that was crafted there has been dislocated.
“The left leg became stiff after a bullet was removed late last year. At the moment, I find a lot of difficulty walking yet I need to be at school which is a walkable distance from my home,” Nabusoba says.
The search for relief
The 22-year-old student of Sibanga Polytechnic Secondary School in Manafwa District is now seeking Shs12m to undergo corrective surgery at a hospital in Kampala.
She says she was taken to a Chinese hospital on Entebbe Road in Kampala by her caretaker Pascal Naliongo and the doctors there asked for Shs12m to perform surgery on both legs.
Naliongo explains that he is incapable of raising this money yet the girl is in pain.
He says it takes her about an hour to walk from home to school yet the school is very near.
“This girl was shot when she was about to sit for her O-Level examinations. At the moment, she should be at university or doing any [vocational] course but because of her situation, she is just in Senior Four. Both her parents are gone and while I am now looking after her, I cannot afford all her requirements, especially the Shs12m for her surgery,” he says.
Doctor’s recommendation
Dr Sam Nina, an orthopaedic surgeon at Mbale hospital, confirms that Nabusoba was recommended for knee surgery, which could not be done at the facility.
“The bullets hit her knees and they need replacement which we cannot do at Mbale hospital. Dr Mwaka, who worked on her, recommended that she seeks treatment elsewhere. Knee replacement costs between Shs12m and Shs15m,” Dr Nina explains, recommending that she should first ascertain whether the surgery will enable her walk again.
