Opposition MP who represents Kira Municipality Hon Ssemujju Nganda, has praised Mulago Hospital for saving her mother after all hope was gone.
The MP said his mother had been infected with Covid-19 but also had other underlying health issues making it difficult to treat the virus.
Without mentioning names, Ssemujju said he first rushed the old woman to private health facilities in Kampala whose managers care much more about money than saving a life.
Narrating his experience to Bukedde TV, Ssemujju expressed fears that these private hospitals could be a breeding ground for Covid-19 as SOPS are violated while admitting the patients.
“I first went to big hospital in Kampala, what I saw is worrying. When you come with a patient, they don’t care to find out what the complication is, all you hear is someone shouting oxygen, oxygen….” Ssemujju said.
He was shocked to see doctors admitting patients without wearing protective gears yet they claim the patients have Covid.
“So you wonder if these hospitals are serious or they are after making money.”
He added that he went to a second big hospital in the city and was told to pay shs 3 million daily for admission.
“My mother spent 36 hours and I paid 7 million. I decided to take her back home. This money you pay is not for treatment but rather admission,” he said.
While at home, Ssemujju said he liaised with Mulago doctors and booked him a ventilator.
“It is only Mulago Hospital which understands how to treat Covid-19. When we arrived in an ambulance, they sprayed the whole car, they sanitized me and where I stepped,” he narrated.
He said that doctors took over his mum and he couldn’t see her for a whole week, but would rather coordinate on phone.
“After a week, my mum returned to me and she had recovered. Remember she had other complications like diabetes, hypertension. But they treated her and she healed.”
Over the past months, private hospitals across the country have been castigated for making a kill out of treating Covid-19 patients.
Some hospitals have detained dead bodies as families fail to clear huge bills.
Against that backdrop, High Court in Kampala issued a ruling on Thursday ordering government to quickly regulate these hospitals as the country continues to grapple with the pandemic.
