High court in Kampala has ordered Mulago hospital to pay 50 million shillings to a mother identified as Fatuma Nakayima after being proved guilty of failure to give her the baby after delivery.
This ruling was given by Chief Magestrate Phillip Odoki after Fatuma won the case against Mulago hospital together with the government Antonney General, claiming that they were behind the disappearance of her baby that she delivered in Mulago on 26/12/2015.
Fatuma was helped by the Center for Health Human Rights and Development – CEHURD and reported to the high court claiming that on 25/12/2015, she went to Mulago National referral hospital in labor and was operated on 26/12/2015 , a baby boy.
She added that Doctors told her that the baby had passed on but they couldn’t find the body. Chief Magestrate Phillip Odoki expressed that this act psychologically tortured Fatuma and as well violated the right to live.
CEHURD was pleased by the Judge’s ruling and appealed to The National Referral Hospital is once again in the spotlight. A 21 year old woman claims she lost her newly born baby at the hospital shortly after she had been discharged.
Cases of child theft at Mulago Hospital are now on the rise according to Police statistics. The ministry is urged to introduce a system that ensures that the babies delivered from government hospitals are monitored for safety adding that this ruling calls for the ministry of health to check itself in issues concerning safety and security in hospitals and as well increase on hospital funding.
