Dr Katuntu’s death sparks queries over Covid-19 tests

TONNY ABET

The death of public health specialist, Dr David Katuntu, which was reported on Tuesday by the media, has sparked more controversy over the integrity and turnaround time for Covid-19 testing services in the country.

Family members say the Health ministry first gave them test result showing the postmortem sample taken from the deceased tested negative for Covid-19, but that the ministry later reversed the results.
A family source claims Dr Katuntu died of diabetes, not Covid-19.

The burial was held yesterday at Namalembe Village, Kamuli Municipality.

“These people are confusing us and I do not trust the integrity of their testing. They gave the results to the wife in the morning (Thursday) showing the Covid-19 test results were negative and we went ahead to send A-plus, a funeral service provider, to pick up the body,” a family source, who preferred anonymity, said.

“When A-plus arrived, we realised they were delayed and when we inquired, A-plus told us they were not given the body. When we inquired from the hospital, they told us they were doing another test because, in the first test, someone had messed up and given inconclusive results,” the source said in an interview on Thursday.

Although Daily Monitor could not independently verify the claims, the two family members that talked to this newspaper say none of them has yet been quarantined.

The postmortem sample for Covid-19 testing was taken on Monday and the results released on Thursday, according to family sources.

When asked about this, Mr Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the Health ministry’s spokesperson, said he was still verifying the issue.
Mr Ainebyoona would later share a press statement of test results for tests done on September 2, which showed the country had reported one death.

Asked whether the one death was that of Dr Katuntu, Mr Ainebyoona said: “Those details I do not have.”
He did not clarify whether the family was given a negative test result before being served a positive test result.
This is not the first time the Covid-19 test result is being refuted by family members.

In July, the family of an 80-year-old female, who reportedly succumbed to Covid-19 on July 25, denied the Health ministry access to carry out contact tracing, saying the death was not due to Covid-19.

Family members say Dr Katuntu had been suffering from diabetes but his condition worsened when he skipped medication.
The family says Dr Katuntu then went through three hospitals on Saturday and Sunday last week, but that they did not give him care, all recommending that he goes to Entebbe because the signs were close to Covid-19.

Diabetic patients often present with symptoms such as shortness of breath and fatigue, which are similar to those for Covid-19, according to available scientific information.

“I think the health workers in the hospitals he went to feared he had Covid-19,” a source in the family said.
Dr Katuntu died at Entebbe Grade B Hospital on Monday night after his condition worsened.

Medical association speaks out
Dr Mukuzi Muhereza, the secretary general of Uganda Medical Association, blamed the death of Dr Katuntu on mismanagement and shortage of facilities to handle patients in need of intensive care.

“It is very sad [to lose Dr Katuntu] but the most important thing is the unavailability of intensive care unit (ICU) beds in public hospitals. It is what is happening in most hospitals on a daily basis, there are no ICU beds,” he said.
Dr Muhereza said it is absurd that Dr Katuntu was taken to one private hospital and two government hospitals but all of them could not give life-saving care.

[email protected]