News
Court Orders Mulago Hospital to pay Ugx 50 million Over Missing baby
The High Court in Kampala has ordered Mulago National Referral Hospital to pay 50 million shillings to a mother for losing her new born baby.This is after the court presided over by Justice Phillip Odoki held Mulago National Referral Hospital liable for the disappearance of a new born baby boy in December 2015.
CEHURD Officials together with the mother who lost the newborn baby at Mulago addressing media.
On Dec 26th 2015 Fatuma Nakayima admitted in Ward 5C and delivered by C- section but was informed by a health worker that she had delivered a baby boy who instantly died.
However Nakayima was never given the dead body or her live baby to date which prompted her to petition Court with the help the Center for Health Human Rights and Development-CEHURD civil society organization advocating for health rights to trace the whereabouts of her baby.
Seven years down the Road, Justice Odoki has ruled that Mulago Hospital acted in violation of Nakayima’s rights to information regarding her baby and as such caused severe mental torture which must be atoned for.
The Acting Executive Director of CEHURD, Dorothy Amuron, welcomed Justice Odoki’s judgement saying it will lead to enhancement of security in public health facilities this is not being the first baby in public hospitals
This is not the first time that the Courts of law are ordering Mulago Hospital to pay damages for a missing child. In 2012, a child of Jennifer Musimenta and Michael Mubangizi went missing at Mulago. Days later, the hospital reportedly gave them a baby who had just died. However, the couple went ahead to do DNA tests which confirmed that the body didn’t belong to the them. As a result, Justice Lydia Mugambe in 2017 ordered the Hospital to pay the couple 85 million shillings following a successful case filed on behalf of the couple by Centre for Health, Human Rights and Rights and Development -CEHURD
