Eronda
JF-Expert Member
- Dec 16, 2025
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A 40-year-old woman from Lugala in Rubaga Division has revealed details on how medical staff at Kawempe National Referral Hospital allegedly removed her uterus without her consent after a complicated delivery that ultimately led to the tragic loss of her baby.
Prossy Nalubega says she conceived last year and has been attending antenatal care at Kawaala Health Centre IV. However, on February 24, her pregnancy took a distressing turn when she developed complications she initially thought were labour pains.
“I felt too much pain, and I was bleeding. I told my husband, and we decided to go to the hospital where I have always been receiving care,” Nalubega said.
She returned to Kawaala Health Centre IV, where her condition reportedly worsened, prompting a referral to Kawempe National Referral Hospital.
“When I reached, I was very weak and asked for a bed to rest. Within a few minutes, I developed severe vomiting. They put me on a drip but could not manage my condition and referred me,” she said.
Ms Nalubega was transported by ambulance to Kawempe National Referral Hospital, where doctors assessed her and recommended a caesarean section after attempts at normal delivery failed.
“At Kawempe, they quickly examined me to see if I could push the baby on my own. I don’t know if it was the excessive vomiting that led to general weakness that I failed to push. After a few minutes, the seemingly intern doctors (two girls) suggested taking me to the theatre for the benefit of my life,”
Her husband, who preferred to remain unnamed, said they agreed to the procedure after talking to his wife. “When I reached Kawempe, my wife briefed me about the arrangement for a C-section, and we gave it a go-ahead.”
However, Nalubega claims she became uneasy in the operating theatre after noticing what she believed were intern doctors preparing to operate without visible supervision.
“I only saw young intern doctors (three males) around me. I asked why there was no senior doctor. They immediately moved out and had a brief discussion before returning, and one told me the senior doctor was on the way but had allowed them to start,” she said.
She further alleges that although she had been prepared for partial anaesthesia, she was instead rendered fully unconscious without explanation.
“Being fully unconscious was never discussed. I got scared and suspicious that in this state, these young men could take up the whole unsupervised procedure,” she said. “They later administered chloroform before I lost consciousness.”
The husband says that after waiting for about an hour, he was informed that the baby had died. He adds that the shocking news that his wife’s uterus had been removed during the operation was also delivered within a few minutes.
“The nurse came and told me the baby did not survive and that her uterus had been removed. I was terrified, and I thought my wife had given consent to the uterus removal while in the theatre,” he said.
Nalubega maintains that neither she nor her husband consented to that procedure.
“How could this happen? I was never consulted. My next of kin was not consulted either, yet he was at the hospital,” she said. “Fellow patients advised us not to raise the complaint intensively because we were still seeking medical care from the facility and could land us in problems with the health workers.”
Nalubega says even after the surgery, concerns were raised by a senior doctor who later reviewed her condition.
“A doctor came in our ward looking at incisions of different mothers and when he looked at my wound, he seemed scared and called other doctors questioning why the wound looked that way. He even suggested I might need to return to the theatre with comments that even the amount of chloroform I was given was an overdose,” she said.
She believes the condition of her surgical wound indicates possible inexperience during the operation.
“When you look at the external wound, you wonder what it looks like inside. It has a lot of bumps on the outside, and this is all from medical negligence,” she said.
The mother, who previously operated a food business, says her health condition has left her unable to work, worsening her financial situation.
“I was paying Shs50,000 weekly on a Shs1 million loan I had procured to improve my operations. I have now defaulted for 16 weeks, totaling Shs800,000,” she said.
On behalf of the hospital administration, Mr Lawrence Kazibwe, the deputy executive director of Kawempe National Referral Hospital stated in a phone interview that in emergencies, patients’ consent may not always be required. The hospital stated that Nalubega arrived in a critical condition and that her foetus had already died.
According to the hospital, she was informed that her uterus would be removed during the procedure.
“In instances that pose a threat to life, doctors may act without prior consent to save a patient. On arrival, Nalubega’s womb had darkened and the foetus was already dead. Being that it wasn’t her first incision, a doctor explained to her that if the foetus is found dead, the doctors will go on with her pushing normally but when she attempted, she kept losing a lot of blood, and while in the theatre, the doctors told her that she is to lose the uterus,” Mr Kazibwe said.
The hospital denied allegations that the surgery was conducted by unsupervised interns, and also disputed consent claims, saying that there was no attendant available for consultation.
Nalubega says the experience has left her devastated and determined to seek legal redress.
“What they did affected me so much. I want to sue the hospital. We are seeking justice because the doctors never consulted us,” she said.
Lawyer George Musisi of Pace Advocates says the law allows medical practitioners to act without consent only under strict emergency conditions.
“If there are extraordinary circumstances and no time to consult the patient or next of kin, the burden is on medical professionals to prove that, since they have a duty to save life,” he said.
He added that if negligence is proven, the patient may be entitled to compensation.
“That was a life-changing and permanent operation. If liability is established, damages can be awarded,” he said.
Source: Daily Monitor
Prossy Nalubega says she conceived last year and has been attending antenatal care at Kawaala Health Centre IV. However, on February 24, her pregnancy took a distressing turn when she developed complications she initially thought were labour pains.
“I felt too much pain, and I was bleeding. I told my husband, and we decided to go to the hospital where I have always been receiving care,” Nalubega said.
She returned to Kawaala Health Centre IV, where her condition reportedly worsened, prompting a referral to Kawempe National Referral Hospital.
“When I reached, I was very weak and asked for a bed to rest. Within a few minutes, I developed severe vomiting. They put me on a drip but could not manage my condition and referred me,” she said.
Ms Nalubega was transported by ambulance to Kawempe National Referral Hospital, where doctors assessed her and recommended a caesarean section after attempts at normal delivery failed.
“At Kawempe, they quickly examined me to see if I could push the baby on my own. I don’t know if it was the excessive vomiting that led to general weakness that I failed to push. After a few minutes, the seemingly intern doctors (two girls) suggested taking me to the theatre for the benefit of my life,”
Her husband, who preferred to remain unnamed, said they agreed to the procedure after talking to his wife. “When I reached Kawempe, my wife briefed me about the arrangement for a C-section, and we gave it a go-ahead.”
However, Nalubega claims she became uneasy in the operating theatre after noticing what she believed were intern doctors preparing to operate without visible supervision.
“I only saw young intern doctors (three males) around me. I asked why there was no senior doctor. They immediately moved out and had a brief discussion before returning, and one told me the senior doctor was on the way but had allowed them to start,” she said.
She further alleges that although she had been prepared for partial anaesthesia, she was instead rendered fully unconscious without explanation.
“Being fully unconscious was never discussed. I got scared and suspicious that in this state, these young men could take up the whole unsupervised procedure,” she said. “They later administered chloroform before I lost consciousness.”
The husband says that after waiting for about an hour, he was informed that the baby had died. He adds that the shocking news that his wife’s uterus had been removed during the operation was also delivered within a few minutes.
“The nurse came and told me the baby did not survive and that her uterus had been removed. I was terrified, and I thought my wife had given consent to the uterus removal while in the theatre,” he said.
Nalubega maintains that neither she nor her husband consented to that procedure.
“How could this happen? I was never consulted. My next of kin was not consulted either, yet he was at the hospital,” she said. “Fellow patients advised us not to raise the complaint intensively because we were still seeking medical care from the facility and could land us in problems with the health workers.”
Nalubega says even after the surgery, concerns were raised by a senior doctor who later reviewed her condition.
“A doctor came in our ward looking at incisions of different mothers and when he looked at my wound, he seemed scared and called other doctors questioning why the wound looked that way. He even suggested I might need to return to the theatre with comments that even the amount of chloroform I was given was an overdose,” she said.
She believes the condition of her surgical wound indicates possible inexperience during the operation.
“When you look at the external wound, you wonder what it looks like inside. It has a lot of bumps on the outside, and this is all from medical negligence,” she said.
The mother, who previously operated a food business, says her health condition has left her unable to work, worsening her financial situation.
“I was paying Shs50,000 weekly on a Shs1 million loan I had procured to improve my operations. I have now defaulted for 16 weeks, totaling Shs800,000,” she said.
On behalf of the hospital administration, Mr Lawrence Kazibwe, the deputy executive director of Kawempe National Referral Hospital stated in a phone interview that in emergencies, patients’ consent may not always be required. The hospital stated that Nalubega arrived in a critical condition and that her foetus had already died.
According to the hospital, she was informed that her uterus would be removed during the procedure.
“In instances that pose a threat to life, doctors may act without prior consent to save a patient. On arrival, Nalubega’s womb had darkened and the foetus was already dead. Being that it wasn’t her first incision, a doctor explained to her that if the foetus is found dead, the doctors will go on with her pushing normally but when she attempted, she kept losing a lot of blood, and while in the theatre, the doctors told her that she is to lose the uterus,” Mr Kazibwe said.
The hospital denied allegations that the surgery was conducted by unsupervised interns, and also disputed consent claims, saying that there was no attendant available for consultation.
Nalubega says the experience has left her devastated and determined to seek legal redress.
“What they did affected me so much. I want to sue the hospital. We are seeking justice because the doctors never consulted us,” she said.
Lawyer George Musisi of Pace Advocates says the law allows medical practitioners to act without consent only under strict emergency conditions.
“If there are extraordinary circumstances and no time to consult the patient or next of kin, the burden is on medical professionals to prove that, since they have a duty to save life,” he said.
He added that if negligence is proven, the patient may be entitled to compensation.
“That was a life-changing and permanent operation. If liability is established, damages can be awarded,” he said.
Source: Daily Monitor
