Parliament Establishes Committee to Investigate Private Health Facilities

Parliament has resolved to set up an adhoc committee to inquire on the status of the operations of private health providers.

 

This includes International Hospital Kampala and other private health providers as a case study within 45 days. It was agreed that the matter requires proper investigation to establish more concrete evidence before Parliament holds an elaborate debate.

 

Florence Mutyabule, MP Namutumba district, had raised a motion on the status of private health services sub sector in Uganda. This follows the death of Remmy Wamala Nanono, the coordinator of the Uganda Parliamentary Forum for Children, who died while giving birth at International Hospital Kampala last week on Thursday.

 

Medard Bitekyerezo, Mbarara MP, told the house that he saw bruises on Wamala’s face and signs of bleeding from her mouth which means she underwent convulsion and enclampsyia during pregnancy thus the need to first get a post-mortem result.

 

Mutyabule noted that this was lack of professionalism in the private health sector. Dr Stephen Chebrot also MP Tingey County explained in medical terms that Wamala’s uterus stopped contracting.

 

This required the doctors to rupture her membrane and sweep round the cervix to activate the uterus to contract.

 

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Chebrot, also an obstetrician gynaecologist, advised the family to seek legal action against the hospital.

Kasese Woman MP Winfred Kiiza then informed the house that FIDA Uganda has resolved to sue the hospital on behalf of the family and encouraged other Ugandans to sue any hospital if a female relative dies while giving birth.

 

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However some MP’s also cited maternal deaths that occurred in public hospitals arguing that if the adhoc committee is set up to only monitor private health facilities then the majority of the public would not be catered for.

 

Mutyabule had also proposed that the Minister of health Dr Ruhakana Rugunda commissions a study on the status of maternal health in the country for purposes of addressing the current challenge of maternal mortality in Uganda and do report his findings to Parliament.

 

Alice Alaso reminded Parliament of government’s maternal health road map, loans approved and other measures to control maternal mortality and report to Parliament within one month which the Speaker Jacob Oulanyah agreed to.

 

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As the world moves closer to 2015 when most countries including Uganda should have achieved the 2015 millennium development goals target six to reduce maternal health by three quarters, 16 mothers still die every day while giving birth.