Medical association mourns senior doctors who have died in one week

TRIBUTE |     

The Uganda Medical Association (UMA) is mourning three senior medical doctors who have died in one week, including the Rakai Hospital Medical Superintendent who succumbed to COVID-19 on Thursday morning.

Dr. Yasin Kiyemba, the Rakai Hospital Medical Superintendent was pronounced dead on Thursday early morning after two weeks of admission at the Mulago National Referral Hospital Intensive Care Unit where he was admitted after testing positive for COVID-19.

According to Dr. Richard Idro, the UMA President, two other senior doctors had died this week. They include Samwiri Kamya, also known as Mr. GSW Kamya, a Senior Consultant Surgeon and former Chairperson of the Health Service Commission who died on Wednesday, November 4 and was slated to be buried over the weekend.

The other is Dr. Charles Nabangi, the Mayuge District Health Officer who collapsed suddenly and died on Monday evening at the Nile International Hospital Jinja, where he was rushed a few hours following an attack.  

Dr. Nabangi is said to have died of high blood pressure, according to the district senior communications officer, Lukiah Kakai and was buried on Thursday.

Dr. Idro described Mr. Kamya as ‘our teacher and father' while he talked of Dr. Nabangi as his classmate of 1990 - 95. He said they both resided in Livingstone Hall at Makerere University.  

"We are mourning and in pain. In an unprecedented week, we lost three doctors," Dr. Idro stated in a statement on the UMA WhatsApp page.

"This month when we pray for the souls of our departed families and friends, we join and pray that - May the Souls of all our departed colleagues Rest in Eternal Peace. And May the Almighty Comfort their families," the message reads.

The Rakai Hospital Administrator, Patrick Ssekidde confirmed the death of Dr. Kiyemba, saying he was first admitted at Nsambya Hospital with complications, and a test was later done which confirmed that he had contracted COVID-19.

He was then immediately transferred to Mulago. His death was shocking news to relatives and friends who said he had been very active in the fight against COVID-19 in his district and in the hospital.

He was slated to be buried on Friday at his ancestral home in Kinoni but by Thursday the body was still at Mulago Hospital but the ministry was in touch with the family on the burial arrangements.  

Dr. Moses Ssaku, the Rakai District Health Officer said three other medical workers at Rakai Hospital had tested positive of COVID-19 and were sent into self-isolation. He said two of them had recovered and resumed their duties while the other was also recovering and was scheduled to return next week.

He said the hospital and the district at large had embarked on vigorous enforcement of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) but regretted that many people, including health workers, were not accepting that COVID-19 was real.

"The challenge we have here is that some people are not accepting that COVID-19 is real, moreover health workers. Now we are telling them to face the reality," he said.

On the fate of other health workers and contacts of the positive colleagues, Dr. Ssaku said, as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization, they were not testing asymptomatic people and only referred those with complications.   

He, however, said the district was still lacking test kits and were still waiting for guidance from the ministry on the way forward.