Report unveils rampant medical negligence

Many cases of medical negligence in health facilities in the country go unreported, a new report has revealed.

The report titled “A study report on medical negligence in Uganda”, by Dr Sylvester Onzivua, a retired consultant pathologist, states that some of the cases of medical negligence have resulted in the loss of lives.

According to the report, medical negligence occurs when a healthcare professional or provider neglects to provide appropriate treatment, omits to take appropriate action, or gives substandard treatment that causes harm, injury, or even death to a patient.

Examples of medical negligence include delay in seeking medical intervention, failure to disclose history, poor training of medical personnel, staff shortages, inadequate resources, long working hours, poor work ethics, and failure by some doctors to go to court and testify in medical negligence cases.

“There has been an increase in the number of mushrooming private tertiary institutions providing healthcare and some of them cannot train health professionals to the required standards unlike before when there was Makerere and Mbarara University of Science and Technology,” the report reads in part.

The report revealed that many medical negligence cases are against private hospitals. Dr Onzivua said this is because complainants find it easier to get compensation from a private health facility than government hospitals.

The Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council, which is mandated to protect the public from unsafe medical practices, is stuck with more than 50 unresolved cases related to medical negligence.

In an interview, Prof Joel Okullo, the chairperson of the Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council, said many of the negligence complaints arise from obstetrics and surgery-related complications.

Issue

“It is because of the highest amount of skill required to perform them [professions], for example, pregnancy is regarded as an emergency because you are dealing with two people or even more in cases of twins and triplets,” he said.

“Also, the multiplicity of teams involved in the entire chain process from the cleaners, anaesthesia, and surgeons makes it highly susceptible to medical negligence,” he added.

Dr Wilberforce Kabweru, a senior consultant surgeon who doubles as the Ethics and Professionalism chairperson at the Uganda Medical Association, said sometimes the system fails the medical practitioners.

He said he resides in Mukono and in case of any emergency, by the time he reaches Mulago from Mukono, there will probably be little to save.

Dr Onzivua’s recommendations to curb medical negligence include causing indemnity against the doctors so that they work with care since there will be a punishment for negligence, health facilities need to be accredited and supervised regularly to ensure that they maintain the minimum standards.

Others are expeditiously handling medical negligence cases, reviewing the laws on medical manslaughter and investigating deaths in health facilities countrywide.