Security examine drugs given to newly-wed bride before death

Joanna Namutebi and her husband Mr Derrick Wabwire on December 10. PHOTO/COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesman Luke Owoyesigyire says three medical reports are pending investigation and they are expecting them this week.

Detectives investigating a case in which a bride died after a birth control procedure went wrong, are examining the particulars of the drugs she took at the Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Clinic.

Detectives submitted samples to the Government Analytical Laboratory (GAL) to establish whether the drugs prescribed were the right ones or not. 

The findings from GAL will help police to determine whether to charge the four staff of the hospital  or not.
Joanna Namutebi became unconscious soon after undergoing a birth control procedure at the hospital in Bukoto on December 11, a day after her wedding to Mr Derrick Wabwire. 

She was later transferred to Victoria Hospital, where she was said to be in a critical condition and died days later. She was buried in Gayaza, Wakiso District.

Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesman Luke Owoyesigyire said three medical reports are pending investigations and they are expecting them this week.

“The samples were taken to the Government Analytical Laboratory to determine whether the drugs she was injected during the procedure were more than what she was supposed to get or not. We are also waiting for reports from an independent medical officer and another by the Uganda Medical Association,” Assistant Superintendent of Police Owoyesigyire said.

Mr Owoyesigyire said the findings will be attached to the file they will submit to the Director of Public Prosecutions for guidance.

Police are investigating allegations of negligence against four staff members of Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Clinic.

The four suspects: the hospital administrator, a doctor, nurse and laboratory technician, were released on police bond.

Background
Joanna Namutebi and Mr Derrick Wabwire had their wedding on December 10. It is also alleged that Namutebi fasted for two days consecutively before her wedding. The next day, the couple visited a fertility hospital to take birth control measures.

According to police, the medical personnel at the hospital checked Namutebi and found her uterus not in the right position. The doctors allegedly advised her to take some water to correct the problem, an advice she took.
Investigators said after the procedure, she started feeling pain in the stomach, headaches and later fainted in the hospital.  

Although the hospital says they are not sure of what really caused her to suffer such health problems. Friends of the deceased said the medical officers wasted a lot of time before they could transfer her to a hospital that could handle her issue.

Mr Arthur Matsiko, the spokesman of Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Clinic, said they are cooperating with the police in the investigations.