A US missionary with no medical qualifications caused the deaths of more than 100 babies while posing as a doctor in Uganda, a lawsuit claims.
Renee Bach, 35, is alleged to have worn a white coat and stethoscope while performing medical procedures on malnourished children at the charity she founded after moving to Africa aged 18.
The claims emerged in a lawsuit brought on behalf of two mothers whose babies died at the Serving His Children clinic.
Annet gave birth to a boy in 2017 but she says he was “snatched” from her by Bach and the clinic staff.
She said: “My son – Elijah Benjamin would be two years old today had he been alive. I delivered him at Jinja Hospital on 21 January, 2017.
“I feel his life was snatched from my arms by the actions of Ms Renee Bach.”
The women also claim that Bach posed as a doctor.
A statement from the Women’s Probono Initiative – an NGO which filed the lawsuit – alleges: “[Bach] was often seen wearing a white coat, a stethoscope and often administered medications to children in her care.”
“Bach’s actions were unacceptable, narcissistic behaviour,” said Spokesperson Women’s Probono Initiative.
Mothers of sick kids were led to believe she was a medical professional, the group claims.
It added: “When their children died however, they were told that Ms Renee has no training at all in medicine and that in 2015, the District Health Officer had closed her facility and ordered her to not offer any treatment to any child.”
The lawsuit demands the facility be shut down entirely and says it is still accepting children for care despite being ordered to close down by The Department of Health in Uganda in 2015.
In the statement from Women’s Probono Initiative, Bach’s actions are described as “unacceptable” and “narcissistic”.
It added: “[Bach] misled unsuspecting vulnerable members of the public.”
A blog post by another aid worker in Uganda, who claims to have known Bach, alleges “she had medical professionals on staff but [Bach] herself, with no medical training, chose to actively treat and respond to serious medical needs of children in crisis.”
‘NO MEDICAL TRAINING’
Renee Bach first visited Africa when she was a teenager, and said she “fell in love” with Uganda before moving out from her native Virginia and subsequently adopting her daughter.
She worked as a missionary before moving on to start the Serving His Children, a Christian charity aiming to “[provide] short term staffing and resources that develop long-term sustainable change by treating severe acute malnutrition, providing health education, teaching effective agriculture methods, sharing the gospel, and bringing communities together.”
According to their website, Serving His Children works “in partnership with the Ministry of Health, rural healthcare facilities and local community leaders.”
In response to a 2018 article that first highlighted allegations, the organisation said: “At no time has our founder, Renee Bach, presented herself as a medical professional, experimented on or caused the death of any child.”
“Having been trained by medical professionals to start IVs, Ms Bach has in the past provided assistance in such procedures when requested and currently serves in an administrative capacity and participates in fundraising for the organisation.”
There is no sign of Renee Bach on Serving His Children’s website any more, and they have deleted their social media accounts.
It is currently unclear whether Bach is still working as a part of the charity, as a missionary in Uganda or whether she has returned to the US.
Source: The Sun
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