Pregnant mother escapes kitchen knife operation

By John Thawite and Bernard Masereka
 
Police in Kasese are hunting for a suspected quack doctor who attempted to operate a pregnant mother with a kitchen knife at Rwensande Health Centre IV.
 
Kasese Resident District Commissioner Lt.  Milton Odongo on Friday identified the suspect as Ogwang Ibenze, alias Constantine at press briefing in his office.
 
“At the Health Centre, he attempted to operate an expectant mother with an ordinary knife and also asked a medical student Lillian Nyamutale, to lend him 200,000/= promising to refund it as soon as he gets his salary,” Odongo said.
 
Odongo said on July 26, Ogwang presented himself to the Chief Administrative Officer as a medical doctor trained in India and newly posted to the district by the health ministry.
 
When contacted, the CAO William Kanyesigye confirmed that Ogwang had reported to him.
 
“I referred him to my deputy because I was at that time setting off on a journey. I don't know what happened thereafter but I have got reports that Ogwang has since disappeared,” Kanyesigye said.
 
According to the Acting District Health Officer (DHO) Kasese Dr. Yusuf Baseka, Ogwang presented himself as the son of Kasese RDC Milton Odongo and claimed he was a clinical officer studying at a university in India.
 
Baseka told the New Vision that the former medical superintendent Dr. Seith Tibenda took Ogwang to Rwensande health centre IV to see the place because they were in dire need of a doctor at the facility adding that it was the last time he interacted with him.
 


However, the DHO quoted Ogwang as saying that he was back in Uganda following a strike at his university and that he wanted to volunteer in Kasese as the situation normalizes at the university.
 
“The version I have from one of my staff Sam Ndyanabo, is that Ogwang removed an abscess from the private parts of a female patient, which under normal circumstances, is supposed to be incised,” Tibenda said.
 
“Ndyanabo told me that instead Ogwang aspirated it using a needle and a syringe,” Dr Tibenda said.
 
Tibenda quoted the Health centre’s administrator, Rev Joseph Bwambale, as saying Ogwang kept on asking for advances.
 
“When Bwambale called me about it, I told him not to give Ogwang any money before getting Ogwang’s relevant documents,” Tibenda said.
 
Odongo said Ogwang has also been accused of conning a string of people in Kasese, Kabarole, Bundibugyo, Ibanda, Lira, Mbarara, Kamwenge, Kyenjojo, Kyegegwa and Hoima between July and August 2012.