By Mulengera Reporters
Information Minister Chris Baryomunsi has announced that the government, through the MoH and the Medical Practitioners Council, has put together a committee of eminent medics to inquire into the circumstances under which Kalangala Woman MP Hellen Nakimuli died.
She died on Sunday at Yusuf Lule Road-based Alexandria Medical Centre where she drove herself for fibroids-related surgery, out of which she never emerged. The death has turned out to be very controversial because she was young (just 40) and had never exhibited signs of ill health. There has been a lot of pressure on the private facility to explain what exactly happened.
Speaking Wednesday during the tribute-paying session of Parliament in honour of Nakimuli, Baryomunsi said that although abusive social media usage is unacceptable, Ugandans were right to ask questions while demanding for an explanation. He seemed to agree that scepticism about the circumstances under which the NUP legislator lost her life was understandable and justified.
Baryomunsi revealed he had rung health minister Jane Aceng seeking to understand what the MoH knew and was saying about what exactly happened inside that operation room at Alexandria Medical Centre.
He revealed that Aceng had assured him the MoH had directed the leadership at the Medical & Dental Practitioners Council to immediately carry out a comprehensive inquiry into what exactly happened.
Baryomunsi revealed that Aceng assured him that the committee members would travel to the Medical Centre and physically inspect all its facilities including the equipment that was used and the room where Nakimuli died from. Baryomunsi agreed with Joel Ssenyonyi who had spoken earlier, making it clear this inquiry was important to inspire Ugandans’ confidence into the state of health services in Uganda.
Baryomunsi asserted that besides talking to Aceng, he had also separately spoken to the Chairman of the Practitioners Council who assured him this was an assignment they were taking seriously and that their comprehensive report would be ready in a matter of days. Baryomunsi said the inquest committee members will also make use of the postmortem report to aid their investigations.
Anita Among interjected informing Baryomunsi that the leadership at Parliament had already received a report, besides interacting with the surgeon who worked on Hellen Nakimuli and that all this was in the presence of LoP Joel Ssenyonyi in whose caucus and NUP party Nakimuli loyally served. She said the family had been given a copy of the same.
Anita Among called on Ugandans and fellow political leaders to learn from the circumstances of Nakimuli’s death and begin having trust in public health facilities like Mulago Hospital. She said these are way much better, contrary to the general cynicism the public tends to have towards them. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
