Mother dies during childbirth as doctors demand sh5000 to treat her

 There was panic at Mityana Regional Hospital on Monday when irate residents stormed the facility in an attempt to evict all the medics so that new ones are recruited.

This after the death of a 23-yr-old woman, who had earlier that morning died shortly after giving birth at the hospital.

Angel Nansubuga died of excessive bleeding a few hours after giving birth to a baby boy.

Relatives however blamed the medics for charging the husband, Steven Kakumba, sh5000 so that they would attend to her. 

"The woman was even barking at me that I should first pay or else she would not attend to her. I appealed so that she would attend to her as I ran out to look for money that very night but she refused, saying that she had to buy medicine from outside." Kakumba said.

"However, by the time I came back, I found that they had attended to her but she had already died" he narrated. 

When Nansubuga's body was taken home, relatives decided to attack the hospital, seeking explanation as to why the medics neglected the deceased. 

On their way, the relatives were joined by hundreds of people who also claimed to having experienced similar problems at the hospital.

The group held placards with different messages, asking government to intervene and take away all the medics, while others called for the arrest and prosecution of the staff on duty who neglected the deceased.

Most of the medics vacated their duty stations in fear while the residents roamed through the maternity ward and other departments but no medic was in sight.

As they camped in the hospital compound, the district leaders held a meeting with the residents to discuss the issue.

Led by the deputy RDC Esther Lunkuse, they asked the top medics at the hospital to explain what happened but when no clear explanations were given, they resolved to involve Police.

Mityana district LC5 chairman Joseph Luzige, RDC Yahaya Kakooza and the DPC Emmanuel Mafundo also joined the meeting in which they resolved that the medics on duty should explain.

Deborah Nankya the nurse who demanded for money to treat the deceased. Photo by Luke Kagiri

When asked why the deceased had been charged money, Deborah Nankya the nurse who made the demand said that they had resolved to charge money on some critical items which are always scarce so that they can get money to buy others.

Luzige directed Mafundo to continue with the investigations into the matter. He was however left furious when it became clear that some key staff members had missed the meeting.

"Where is the hospital administrator? Where is the medical superintendent? They must be here because they are the very people to answer all these questions. This is their duty station" Luzige said.

Some of the doctors around said the medical superintendent had gone for a meeting at the Ministry of Health headquarters in Kampala.

As the meeting went on, more patients and caretakers attempted to enter the board room to report similar problems that they faced at the hospital.

One who was allowed in narrated that she was a few weeks ago charged of sh70,000 to buy medicine.

Another said that that for two days, her patient had not been attended to and had also died on Monday morning before seeing a doctor.

Mityana LC5 chairman Joseph Luzige (L) addressing some of the residents who had camped at the hospital. Photo by Luke Kagiri

Repeat scenarios

This is not the first time such an issue has been brought up in Mityana.

About four years ago, a woman who had been brought from Bbanda Sub County in Mityana district died in labour and medics were accused of neglecting her.

Last year, a child died at Kyantungo Health Centre in Kalangaalo Sub County where he had been taken for treatment for a snake bite.

The residents and relatives accused the medics at Kyantungo of neglecting the child. When Luzige intervened, the medics were transferred and the case is reportedly still being investigated up to now.

Dr Fred Lwasampijja, the district health officer said that although Nansubuga's death happened, the maternal mortality rate in the district had greatly reduced.

"It is very unfortunate that we lost this mother. Maternal mortality rate was about 30% but now we are around 18%" Lwasampijja said.