Kitagwenda district and two health workers have been sued at Fort portal High court over Medical Negligence that reportedly occasioned death of one Tracy Biryomumaisho at Ntara Health Centre 1V on March 29 2022.
Information attained by this website indicates that Biryomumumaiso reported to Ntara Health Centre IV at 11:00Am on March 29th, 2022 with labour pains, but the doctor on duty, identified as Dr. Karungi Christine, was not available and she did not answer her phone calls when the patient’s caretakers called.
Documents on court record also seen by The Capital Times indicate that Biryomumumaiso stayed at the health facility waiting for the Doctor until her uterus ruptured and she bleed to death at around mid-night of March 29 2022.
Dr. Karungi, a medical officer who is the Acting District Health Officer, and her colleague Ms Kyarikunda Dativa, who were responsible for the patient’s health at the time, have since been put in the spotlight for having neglected their duty, thereby occasioning Biryomumaisho’s death.
Dr. Karungi Christine civil docAccording to the Hospital records, Dr Karungi did not report on duty that day and neither did she delegate any other health worker to fill in for her on March 29th from 7:00Am to 10:00Am on March 30th, 2022 yet the Duty Rota clearly indicates that she was the one on duty that day.
Her colleague Kyarikunda has also been faulted for neglecting her duty by refusing and/neglecting to refer the deceased to another health facility until it was too late to save her.
The Plaintiff claim that Kitagwenda district is vicariously liable for failure to perform it’s over sight mandate as the employer.
Both biological parents of the deceased Tumusiime madia and Keita Zaid through their Lawyers Mubiru ,Aruho Advocates & Enforcement of Patients and Health Workers ‘rights (EPHWOR) have filed their plaint at Fort portal High Court on the 27th August 2022 and the defendants were issued with summons to file a defence in 15 days.
Legal Consultant of EPHWOR, a one Kategaya Amon who confirmed that they are exploring a possibility of further bringing a public interest case on violation of right to health.
He believes that the fresh charges will be a wake up call to all Health workers’ to put the patient’s rights at the forefront.
It should however be noted that it is act of neglect of duty like these that are making Kitagwenda District lag behind when it comes to implementation of government programmes.
