The death of a 36-year-old mother at Luwero hospital has sparked fresh public outrage over blood shortages and alleged negligence by health workers at public health facilities.
Last Friday, Allen Navubya, a resident of Kigulu village in Wobulenzi town council, was referred to Luwero hospital for delivery after attending antenatal visits for months at Katikamu health centre III.
Navubya delivered a baby girl normally around 6:20 pm. However, the hours that followed would tragically claim her life.
Navubya died at approximately 11:30 pm, shortly after being transferred to Bishop Ceaser Asili hospital due to excessive bleeding after delivery. She left behind a premature baby girl, currently receiving care at the neonatal unit at Kiwoko hospital, and three other children.
Accusations of negligence
Navubya’s family accuses health workers at Luwero hospital of negligence that led to her death. Dan Nsubuga, Navubya’s husband, claims that after the health workers detected the excessive bleeding, they asked him to take blood samples to another private clinic outside the facility to test the blood group because they had erroneously conducted the delivery without checking it.
He said that even after he brought back the results from the blood group tests, the health workers engaged in frantic calls with a colleague who was supposed to be on duty to help them access blood for transfusion in vain.
“It was at around 11; 00 pm, when I managed to hire a private car from Wobulenzi town that drove fast to the facility to evacuate my wife to Bishop Ceaser Asili hospital for further management. I had to sit with my wife who was unconscious in the back seat and hold her because the midwife refused to accompany us, saying they are not supposed to do so in a vehicle that isn’t an ambulance,” Nsubuga recounted.
Navubya died shortly after arriving at Bishop Ceaser Asili hospital. Nsubuga blames her death on delays, the unavailability of a health worker to provide blood for transfusion, and the lack of a functioning ambulance to transport them.
“The labour pains were just induced. So why do you induce someone’s labour pains when you’re not prepared? Yet it is known that over-bleeding is one of the likely cases during such incidents…Two, how comes that a health facility at the level of a hospital someone can just walk away with keys yet the facility has a theatre where operations are being made, people are expected to lose blood but someone is away. Another one was the issue of an ambulance, let us assume, there was no blood but how fast was it possible to transfer the patient? So those are three areas of negligence,” added Nsubuga.
Hospital response
Dr Oyik Bruno, medical superintendent of Luwero hospital, expressed regret over the incident, stating that investigations are underway to determine the circumstances surrounding Navubya’s death.
According to preliminary findings, there was a shortage of B+ blood at the hospital, and by the time they managed to secure blood from Bishop Ceaser Asili Hospital, Navubya had already lost too much blood.
“My technical team and I are together with the district to see that we audit and come up with particular responses to this tragedy such that it doesn’t happen again. This has been our call for a long time that if we could have a blood bank here it would help serve the people here,” Oyik said.
Persistent blood shortages
Statistics indicate that Luwero Hospital handles at least 27 cases per week requiring blood transfusions, including mothers, trauma patients, and individuals with sickle cell disease. Each quarter, at least 625 mothers deliver at the facility, many of whom require blood transfusions.
Local leaders demand accountability
Erastus Kibirango, the LCV chairman of Luwero district, attended Navubya’s burial on Sunday and apologized for the incident. He assured the bereaved family that the matter would be thoroughly investigated and those found responsible would be held accountable.
However, this is not the first time such a tragedy has occurred. In 2022, two women, Susan Nanfuma and Specioza Nabasinga, died at Luwero Hospital due to inadequate medical supplies. During the 2023/24 financial year, at least 14 mothers died across Luwero district due to delays in reaching facilities, lack of blood, and other essential medical supplies.
The incident has intensified calls for urgent improvements in maternal health services and a reliable blood supply system in the district.
It is the carelessness of the doctors and I have accused them to have led the death of Navubya because, how comes that a hospital not a healthy centre someone can just move with the keys of ambulance and blood bank.
Secondly Navubya delivered around 6:30pm from that time till the death at around 11:30pm the doctors what were they doing..?
So this issue should be worked upon and the doctors who were on the duty should be answerable and judged by laws in accordance