How botched free surgery crippled boy in Hoima

Swaibu Kaggawa leaves his house, carrying his son, Ethan Ntambi. From a distance, Ntambi’s legs appear stiff, making it difficult for him to walk or stand on his own, despite his age. His hands are also stiff. 

The two live in Kyalabuyamba Village, in Hoima City. Kaggawa says Ntambi was a normal, healthy child when he was born on March 24, 2016. However, when he was almost one year old, his parents noticed that he had difficulty walking. 

“There was a doctor who was passing by our home. He saw my child and advised me to take him for physiotherapy at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital,” the 35-year-old Kaggawa recalls. 

Over time, the boy showed improvement. However, he continued to walk unsteadily. Ntambi loved playing and spent most of his time doing so. 

In 2019, his father took him to Katalemwa Cheshire Home for Rehabilitation Services in Mpererwe, Kampala City’s Kawempe Division, where he was given a wheelchair and supporting shoes. 

Hope through free surgery

In 2020, when Ntambi was four, Kaggawa’s brother informed him about a programme for free surgeries at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital for children with conditions such as the one his son had. Hopeful for a better outcome, Kaggawa registered Ntambi for the procedure. 

“On September 9, 2020, we were briefed about the surgery to be carried out by doctors from Mildmay Hospital. We were told not to give the child a meal after midnight. We followed all the instructions,” Kaggawa explains. 

The surgery was carried out the following day. However, it took longer than expected, lasting four hours. When the surgeons finally called Ntambi’s parents, they informed them that although the surgery was successful, they were unable to resuscitate the boy. 

“Seven doctors were standing around the boy in the Intensive Care Unit. Then, one doctor began checking my son, starting from his feet. Afterward, he opened and checked both his eyes with a torch. He then placed a gadget on his chest and he told his fellow doctors that the boy was still alive. Then he commanded them to connect him to the life support machine,” Kaggawa says. 

The doctors prescribed some medicine that the father was supposed to buy from the pharmacy. 

Complications

“The pharmacist wanted to know my relation to the patient for whom I was purchasing the medicine. He said the patient must be in critical condition. He repeated it three times,” Kaggawa adds. 

Later, when the boy began shaking, the doctors asked Kaggawa if his son had ever experienced seizures or had epilepsy. Kaggawa insisted that his son had never suffered from such conditions. 

One night, when Ntambi’s condition deteriorated, Kaggawa repeatedly pleaded with the nurse on duty to check on him. She refused to assist. By morning, Ntambi’s situation was still critical. The health workers told Kaggawa there was nothing more they could do. 

His thumb and index finger had turned green yet the hospital did not have oxygen. Kaggawa was told that the key to the oxygen storage room was unavailable and the electricity supply was unstable. 

Further consultation

After getting a referral letter, with the help of one of the doctors, the distraught father arranged for an ambulance to transport the critically ill boy to St Francis Hospital Nsambya. Upon arrival, the ambulance was directed to transport them to Mulago National Referral Hospital. 

After a few nights, the fingers that had turned green became hard and the consultants who examined the boy recommended amputation. They spent a month at the hospital. 

“The doctors said there was nothing more they could do for our son because the issue was related to his brain function. They advised us to take him home,” Kaggawa says. 

Today, eight-year-old Ntambi requires constant care, including physiotherapy. He feeds through a tube. Sometimes, it takes two hours to feed him. His jaws are paralysed, making chewing almost impossible. His bowel movements are also painful. 

“If you decide to give him milk in the morning, it will take you almost two to three hours just doing that. I have to plan his bowel movements. Sometimes, when he has taken three days without easing himself, I place my fingers into his anus to remove whatever is stuck there,” Kaggawa laments. 

Effect on family

Due to her son’s condition, Ntambi’s mother suffered a mental breakdown. Now Kaggawa is a caregiver for both his son and wife. He lost his job during the Covid-19 pandemic and now struggles to fend for his family. 

He still has many questions concerning what went wrong during his son’s surgery at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital. 

“His hands and legs are locked in one place. I do not know if he can see me. The last time he spoke was an hour before the surgery,” Kaggawa laments. 

While he wishes to take legal action against the hospital, he does not have the money to hire a lawyer. However, he hopes that one day, he will get justice. 

When contacted by Daily Monitor, the administrators of Hoima Regional Referral Hospital declined to comment on this story, saying they do not have Ntambi’s surgery in their records.