In what could be described as the most shocking development of the year, a mother has given birth to a stone-like mass in Bugiri district leaving residents and medical personnel in shock.
Hellen Namukose, 24, a resident of Nagongera village in Buliidha Sub County, Bugiri district is gradually recuperating following an operation to remove a 10.5 kg mass from her womb in what was earlier believed to be a pregnancy.
According to Dr Kasaizaki Geoffrey who led the operation team, the patient had realised that there was something wrong with her health but was unable to seek expert medical help for lack of money.
Kubingi Janet, the patient’s mother and attendant narrated the painful ordeal her daughter has undergone for over a year with an unrecognisable disorder.
She says they had earlier believed her to be pregnant in mid-2022 but started seeing the red flag when she continued bleeding from her private parts even as the perceived pregnancy approached seven months.
” It got us confused which prompted us to seek medical attention at our local health centre in Buliidha. The medics there, however, allied our fears by confirming that my daughter was indeed pregnant and all was well,” she recollects.
When they returned home, however, the situation worsened. The stomach was increasing in size at a terrible speed with no signs she would soon give birth.
Kubingi further contends that when their desperate visits to hospitals paid no physical dividends, they resorted to seeking spiritual interventions which led them to a Pastor.
” When he prayed for her, the stomach disappeared and we thanked God for it.” she narrates.
This, however, didn’t last long. In June, the condition returned, and with more fury this time.
” It moved like something was living inside her. She felt a lot of pain when she sat and the weight made her uncomfortable. When she slept on one side, the thing inside of her would collect on one side and make her almost unable to stand up without support.” The teary mother told this website.
As the condition deteriorated, they sought help at Rippon Hospital in Jinja where a CTR scan recommended an urgent operation. The problem, however, was that there was no money to procure an operation.
Like a miracle, out of potions, they heard over the radio that there would be a medical camp in their neighbourhood where treatment was expected to be free.
” When I heard that there would be free treatment here at Nankoma, I couldn’t believe my ears. I had been told that it would cost us at least six million to be able to save my daughter which money was obviously out of our reach,” she adds.
Dr Kasaizaki said the mass extracted from tNamukose weighed 10.5 kilograms and that the operation which ran for 3 hours had been a huge success.
Ms Naggayi Fatumah, the Senior Nursing Officer at the Health Center said Namukose was responding well to treatment after the procedure.
The health camp, a brainchild
Namukose, whom our reporter interacted with from her hospital bed at Nankoma Health Center IV said she was relieved that the anomaly had been extracted and extended her appreciation to Bugiri district local government under Mr Kasaija Davidson Mulumba for making it possible for her to access the life-saving intervention at a free cost which would have been impossible otherwise.
” I want to thank the Doctors and Mr Mulumba for providing this opportunity to save my life. We are poor and without this free health camp, we wouldn’t have been able to get the operation.” She said, with pain marks written on her face that the District Chairman, Mr Mulumba is concurrently running at two sites, including Bugiri Hospital. At Nankoma alone, 40 surgeries had been conducted and over 700 patients attended to by the close of the second day of the event that will run for a full week from November 27 to December 2.
Doctor Abubaker Nakendo, the Medical Superintendent for Bugiri Main Hospital said they had attended to over 2000 patients in the first two days, with the number expected to shoot to 20,000 by the end of the week-long camp at the two camps.
Mr Mulumba reiterated his leadership’s commitment to better the lives of the people of Bugiri and noted that this event will continue to be implemented every year to continue helping the vulnerable poor to access specialised medical care.
He also appealed to the government to enhance its budget allocation for health to be able to tend to more cases in future.
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