Strange illness afflicts baby, mother seeks help
Three-year-old Sharuwa Namatovu with her mother Gloria Nyiransaba at Kisuuna Village in Masaka municipality. PHOTO BY ISSA ALIGA.
MASAKA
Sharuwa Namatovu was born healthy on January 23, 2010. At one year, she, however, got a swelling on the left side of her stomach which eventually developed into an abdominal swelling.
Gloria Nyiransaba, her mother, has tried everything within her reach to get her out of her current state in vain. “I took the girl to Masaka Referral Hospital in 2011 and 2012 and on November 6, 2012, she was referred to Mulago hospital in Kampala where an ultrasound of her stomach was done,” Nyiransaba, a single mother of two, says. Two days later, Namatovu had a biopsy performed on her.
Dr Sam Kalungi from Makerere University Department of Pathology says the biopsy, which was done on November 8 last year, showed a progressive abdominal swelling on the stomach but they could not tell its cause and the origin. “A biopsy, where we use a small needle to remove tissue from the affected area, was done. Unfortunately it was not successful and it was recommended that the process is repeated,” Dr Kalungi says.
The holder of a certificate in Secretarial Studies says although she has been advised to take the child back to Mulago hospital for another biopsy, she does not have any money to meet the medical bills. “I paid Shs100,000 for the first operation but now I cannot afford to go back since I have no job.”
The stricken mother says sometimes, it looks like something is moving in the tummy of the child, which causes her even more pain. “The girl cries all the time, day and night,” she says, with a painful look on her face.
All Nyiransaba wants, is a cure for her daughter.
