The Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council (UMDPC) has ordered the immediate closure of Kamwokya Med-Care Centre and suspended its proprietor, Dr Richard Waigumba from medical practice for two years over mismanaging a patient which led to her death.
Waigumba was suspended alongside two other doctors by UMDPC after being found guilty of gross professional misconduct and negligence during the operation of Doreen Mpumwire Ikwap who died on January 22, 2023, after undergoing a myoectomy (a major surgery to remove uterine fibroids) and ovarian cystectomy at the facility.
Mpumwire’s husband Andrew Ikwap, lodged in a complaint before UMDPC against Dr Waigumba, a medical officer with a degree in Biomedical Sciences (2011) and a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) degree from Makerere University.
Waigumba, who had previously worked as an orthopaedic officer (2005), started operating a private medical clinic in 2016, registered with UMDPC under the supervision of Dr James Kafeero.
The investigation revealed that Waigumba persuaded and convinced Mpumwire that he would perform a myomectomy, cystectomy, and unblock the fallopian tube, enabling the couple to conceive naturally. He contacted Dr Andrew Odongkara who claimed to be a general surgeon to carry out the operation.
However, the investigation found that Dr Odongkara had abandoned his Master of Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynaecology course at Makerere University in 2011 and had not completed the course he enrolled in 2007. He also held no valid practising license since 2021.
The operation was performed on January 19, 2023, with Dr Odongkara as the lead surgeon, assisted by Dr Waigumba. However, the patient’s condition deteriorated post-operation, and she eventually died three days later on January 22. As a result, the UMDPC’s ethics and disciplinary committee conducted a preliminary hearing on March 1, 2024, and resolved to subject the complaint to a full inquiry. The inquiry was conducted on May 7, 2024, during which the council received oral testimonies from witnesses.
Furthermore, the investigations found that the facility lacked adequate resources for critical care, including a high-dependence unit, laboratory equipment, and a recovery room on top of working in an old unmodified residential building. The UMDPC also found that the medical officers had not written the patient’s notes in the file despite having been there for more than three days, an indicator of unethical behaviour of poor patient record keeping.
The surgery was reportedly complicated by adhesions involving the omentum, intestine, bladder, uterus, and anterior abdominal wall. Despite these complications, Waigumba and Odongkara proceeded to perform the surgery, which ultimately led to Mpumwire’s death.
The investigation also implicated Dr James Kafeero, a medical officer with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) degree from Makerere University, who was supposed to supervise the facility but failed to do so. The council also found that the doctors involved in the surgery were neither qualified nor competent to perform the procedure. The facility was also found to be operating beyond its licensed mandate, and the doctors were found to have falsified patient records.
Accordingly, Waigumba has been suspended from medical practice for two years for participating in mismanagement of the patient by hiring an unlicensed doctor. His suspension will be followed by a one-year supervised attachment at a healthy facility that will be identified by the Council.
“After which he may re-apply for reinstatement on the register. Failure to adhere to these sanctions shall lead to more severe sanctions which could include permanent erasure from the register,” reads the decision dated July 1, 2024.
Odongkara who was also employed at Malcom Medical Centre in Kisaasi will face the same sanctions as Waigumba. Dr James Kafeero is suspended for one year and will have a six-month supervised attachment. The Council has also referred nurses Celine Kadondi and Brenda Nabwami to the Nurses and Midwifery Council for disciplinary action.
The registrar of UMDPC, Dr Ivan Kisuule confirmed that the sanctions have already been implemented. The council has also recommended the immediate closure of Kamwokya Med-Care Centre for operating beyond its licensed mandate. Cases of professional negligence have been common in this country by the medical professionals. Some have been arrested and sent to prison and their facilities closed.
By URN