Doctor abandons cancer patient over Shs250,000

In pain. The Jinja Resident District Commissioner, Mr Eric Sakwa (right), talks to Ms Night Nakwanga on her sickbed in Jinja Regional Referral Hospital on December 6, 2018. PHOTO BY DENIS EDEMA

What you need to know:

  • The hospital principal administrator, Mr Muhammad Mubiru, confirmed that a patient was asked to pay Shs250,000 by one of the doctors, but declined to name the doctor or what the money was meant for.

A doctor at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital has reportedly declined to attend to a patient suffering from cervical cancer after she allegedly failed to first pay Shs250,000.
Ms Night Nakwanga, 42, of Budondo Village, Budondo Sub-county in Jinja District, was eventually wheeled from the theatre to her ward after the doctor - who has not been named - reportedly declined to attend to her.
Ms Nakwanga was among the patients scheduled to be operated upon, according to her caretaker and niece, Ms Gloria Adia, 20.

Ms Adia claimed that the doctor demanded Shs250,000 before he could operate her aunt who had already been taken into the theatre.
It was not clear whether the money was a kickback or normal payment procedure. Ms Nakwanga, it is alleged, was supposed to undergo an operation after being admitted to Ward Two, Bed 38 nine days ago but was reportedly ignored by the health workers who were said to be working on the doctor’s directive.

“We have been here since November 27, and this has been the same story; other patients have been worked on but for us we lacked the money and that is the reason she was not operated, Ms Adia said.
“The doctor has since reportedly inserted something inside her private parts which she says is paining her,” she added.

This development on Thursday sent the Jinja Resident District Commissioner, Mr Eric Sakwa, to the hospital. He condemned the doctor’s conduct, warning that it is against health workers’ ethics.
“This is unacceptable in a public hospital and I have directed police to investigate this matter. I have received reports that some hospital workers connive with boda boda to steal drugs and this is how the CD4 machine went missing from this hospital,” Mr Sakwa said.
One of the CD4 count machines went missing from the hospital in September and three people have since been taken into custody at Jinja Police Station, while two fugitive accomplices remain at large.

Hospital responds
The hospital principal administrator, Mr Muhammad Mubiru, confirmed that a patient was asked to pay Shs250,000 by one of the doctors, but declined to name the doctor or what the money was meant for.
“I found this matter in my office this morning (Thursday); the patient was on the list of those to be operated on Wednesday. It is not clear why the doctor did not operate this particular patient even after preparing her for the operation,” Mr Mubiru said.

Mr Mubiru said the patient has since been allocated another doctor to conduct the operation as the administration investigates and takes appropriate action.
“I, however, appeal to patients, their attendants and the general public to always mark the names of the doctors and nurses for easy identification when such incidents occur,” he said.