Findings by the Committee comprising the Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Council set up to investigate deaths that resulted in the Neuro Surgery at Mengo Hospital revealed that while the operation was successful, doctors failed to manage patients in the Intensive Care Unit. “ there were five cases who died as a result of following the surgery as clearly stated.of the 31 cases that were operated, there were no major advanced events on the operating table. In other words, Neuro Surgeons did their work. the patients came out of the theatre, were taken to ICU all of the 31 patients were taken through ICU. And depending on their response, some of them were referred to the High Dependence Unit which is a lesser Intensive Care Unit. And of these, unfortunately, 4 died while they were in ICU. And the cause of death was variable, some of them were due to infection, some of them were due to embolism that blood clot logging in the lungs and therefore causing cardio-respiratory failure.” Said, Prof. Okullo Joel – Chairman, UMDPC.

The Minister of Health In charge of General Duties Sarah Opendi then instructed all hospitals to equip ICUs to avoid re-occurrences of such incidences. “Intensive Care Unit Mengo Hospital has only five beds. So there is need to improve ICU, facilities in these hospitals.” These findings bring to a close question that had surrounded the Neuro Surgery Camp in which about five people including former Member of Parliament Issa Kikungwe lost his life.