Mbarara Referral Hospital successfully removes 50 needles from 9-year-old

MBARARA - Surgeons at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital have successfully carried out a rare and highly complex operation to remove 50 sewing needles and other foreign objects from the stomach and intestines of a nine-year-old boy from Mitooma district.

The child, a Primary One pupil at St Luke Primary School in Kashenshero town council, Mitooma district, is currently recovering under specialised paediatric surgical care after undergoing two delicate operations at the hospital.

Doctors said the boy had endured persistent stomach pain for nearly eight months and had been taken to several clinics without improvement before scans eventually revealed multiple metallic objects lodged inside his abdomen.

He was referred to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital from Ishaka Adventist Hospital after doctors there detected foreign bodies during imaging examinations conducted at Gava Imaging Centre in Bushenyi.

According to Eunice Birungi, the child’s aunt and primary caretaker, she decided to seek further medical attention after his condition worsened.

Dr Twesigye, who has spent nearly two decades conducting surgical procedures, described the operation as extraordinary and one that required a high level of precision.

The complex surgery was conducted by a team of eight specialists led by paediatric surgeon Dr Eden Tilahun under the supervision of Dr Deus Twesigye, the acting hospital director and senior consultant general surgeon.

Dr Twesigye, who has spent nearly two decades conducting surgical procedures, described the operation as extraordinary and one that required a high level of precision.

During the first operation, which lasted about six hours, surgeons removed 43 sewing needles, some tied in bundles, along with pieces of textile material, thin strings and fragments of pens.

“Most of the needles were rusted, suggesting they had been present for some time. The fact that they were multiple and some were wrapped made the case appear unusual and extraordinary,” said Dr Eden Tilahun, a pediatric surgeon on the operating team.

The objects were discovered in different parts of the abdomen, including the large bowel, pelvic region and loops of the small intestine.

A team of surgeons led by Dr Eden Tilahun, a paediatric surgeon, during the operation. (Courtesy Photos)

“Most of the needles were rusted, suggesting they had been inside the body for quite some time. The fact that they were many and some wrapped together made the case highly unusual and extraordinary,” Dr Tilahun said.

According to Mbarara RRH radiographer Jonasi Agaba, X-ray scans showed multiple bright white linear and bent structures consistent with needles.

Following the first operation, doctors ordered another X-ray scan to confirm whether all the objects had been removed. However, the scan revealed another needle still lodged inside the abdomen, forcing surgeons to conduct a second operation during which two more needles stuck together were successfully removed.

Surgeons noted that while cases of children swallowing foreign objects are not uncommon, especially among younger children, the Mitooma case was extreme because of the unusually high number of needles recovered and the length of time they had remained in the body.

Dr Twesigye said the successful operation demonstrated the growing specialised surgical capacity at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital.

He noted that the facility remains one of the few regional referral hospitals capable of handling such highly specialised procedures due to government investment and collaboration with Mbarara University of Science and Technology, which has strengthened the hospital’s specialised workforce.

Doctors said the boy had endured persistent stomach pain for nearly eight months and had been taken to several clinics without improvement before scans eventually revealed multiple metallic objects lodged inside his abdomen.

The child remains under close observation by the paediatric surgery team as doctors monitor his recovery following one of the most unusual and complex operations ever conducted at the hospital.

The hospital administration said several sections of the child’s intestines had become inflamed due to the foreign objects, warning that the condition could have caused severe injury to vital abdominal organs if left untreated.

The boy had reportedly been living with his stepmother, Juliet Tushabaomwe, after his father, Simon Twinomugisha, separated from his biological mother, Mellon Natuhwera, when he was still an infant.

Family members allege the child had endured torture, overwork and inadequate feeding while under the stepmother’s care.

Meanwhile, the case has since taken a criminal turn after the child’s stepmother, Juliet Tushabeomwe, was arraigned before the Grade One Magistrate’s Court in Mitooma district on May 8, 2026, over allegations linked to the boy’s condition.

Tushabeomwe appeared before Grade One Magistrate Gibson Muhangi and was charged with aggravated torture and attempted murder.

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Prosecution alleges that between August 2025 and April 28, 2026, at Rweibare II Village in Kyanzire Parish, Kashenshero Town Council, she intentionally forced the child, identified as Samuel Akamumpa, to swallow sewing needles and broken pieces of pens, reportedly mixed in porridge.

While reading the charges, Magistrate Muhangi told court that the suspect unlawfully subjected the minor to repeated abuse over several months, resulting in severe internal injuries.

The suspect was remanded to prison as investigations into the matter continue.