Health workers arrested over mother’s death
What you need to know:
- Police quizzed them on why they had failed to pin telephone contacts for emergency ambulances services for Kakumiro and Kakindo health centre IVs as per the emergency procedure.
- During interrogation, the security guard at the facility said he often volunteers to refer patients and expectant mothers in critical condition to Kakumiro Health Centre IV whenever the officer in charge and the midwife are not on duty.
KAKUMIRO. Two medical officers attached to Kasambya Health Centre III in Kasambya Sub-county, Kakumiro District have been arrested over alleged neglect of duty following the death of a mother after delivering at the roadside.
Everlyne Kyohirwe, a mother and resident of Kigomba in Kasambya Sub-county, had allegedly spent the entire day at Kasambya Health Centre III unattended to, and decided to go to Kakumiro Health Centre IV, but died on her way.
The two suspects are the officer in charge of the health centre and the midwife, who were arrested after an operation led by the Kakumiro District police commander, Mr Hassan Mugerwa Katumba.
Police acted following public outcry and threats by residents to demonstrate over the alleged negligence by the officials, which they believe resulted in the death of the mother.
Mr Mugerwa, who was in the company of the Kakumiro District head of crimes investigations desk, Mr Deo Zakumumpa, stormed the health centre together with other detectives who interrogated the suspects.
Referring to the Daily Monitor story on Wednesday titled ‘‘Mother dies in labour over negligence’’, Mr Zakumumpa, the lead interrogator, said the alleged criminal negligence of the suspects had caused public outcry and there is no way they will escape what he called “the arm of the law.”
During interrogations at the facility, which sources described as heated, the midwife was asked to explain her absence from the health facility last Sunday.
“Where were you on that day?’’ Mr Zakumumpa is reported to have asked the midwife who said she had gone to Hoima District to pick her children from school for the first term holiday.
On whether she notified her immediate boss who is the officer in charge of the health centre, the midwife said she did not.
Police quizzed them on why they had failed to pin telephone contacts for emergency ambulances services for Kakumiro and Kakindo health centre IVs as per the emergency procedure.
During interrogation, the security guard at the facility said he often volunteers to refer patients and expectant mothers in critical condition to Kakumiro Health Centre IV whenever the officer in charge and the midwife are not on duty.
‘‘As usual, whenever patients visit the health centre, more especially expectant mothers, I tell them to go to Kakumiro when the midwife is not around and this is not the first time,’’ the security guard, said.
