The UPDF has dismissed reports that they ordered UMC Victoria hospital to stop treating a traffic officer, PC Patrick Mukebezi who was in January, 2022, shot and injured by a member of the UPDF.
This followed reports by the Daily Monitor of Wednesday May 11 2022 in an article titled “UPDF Orders hospital to stop treating shot traffic officer.”
The Ugandan daily reported that “The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) have allegedly ordered UMC Victoria Hospital to stop treating a traffic officer, who was shot by one of their soldiers, on their medical account.”
However, in a statement dated May 11, the UPDF Spokesperson, Brig Gen Felix Kulaigye said the story is false and should be disregarded.
“UPDF Wishes to dismiss the story, it should be disregarded and treated with the contempt it deserves,” he said.
Kulaigye said when PC Mukebezi was unfortunately shot and injured by a member of the UPDF, the Force, immediately undertook to facilitate his treatment at Victoria hospital with whom the institution already has a running contract for specialised medical care for its personnel on a referral system, saying, PC mukebezi was therefore admitted at Victoria hospital the same day.
He revealed that Mukebezi’s injury was grave which led to the amputation of his right leg.
“The treatment continued until April 25, 2022 when he was discharged and instructed to continue visiting the hospital for a periodic review as an outpatient. The patient has since visited the hospital for review on appointment thrice, on March 12, 2022, on April 16, 2022 and on April 23rd 2022,” he said.
Kulaigye noted that that specialists attending to Mukebezi have reported tremendous improvement and he is on course to recovery.
“The treatment plan is to provide him with a prosthetic limb (artificial leg) after six months since amputation, which period has not yet elapsed,” he said.