For several women in Bududa District, the journey into motherhood is marked by uncertainties and tragedies allegedly caused by negligence by health workers, among other reasons.
Two weeks ago, 34-year-old Sandra Khabuya, who was pregnant, died at Bududa General Hospital reportedly due to negligence by health workers. On the fateful day, she had reportedly arrived at the facility at around 10am on a Sunday with pregnancy-related complications.
The deceased was a resident of Namarare Village and a secretary in the Trade Department of Bududa District Local Government.
Her sister, Ms Sylvia Namome, said Khabuya was examined by a doctor on duty and given medication. The doctor later left.
‘We struggled to secure further attention from health workers in vain as her condition deteriorated. By about 4pm, she started to cry for help. She later began vomiting and bleeding heavily, and complained of severe pain, but there was no one to attend to her,’ Ms Namome told the Monitor on September 9 at the facility.
In a September 10 letter, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Max Martin Mukula said six hospital staff had been ordered to make a statement at the police over Khabuya’s death.
The decision was made during a District Security Committee meeting chaired by Bududa resident district commissioner (RDC) Juliet Solome Namara.
‘I have received a letter from the Criminal Investigations Directorate of Bududa Police Station requesting me to inform you to report to police on the above-referenced matter,’ the letter signed by the CAO, reads.
Elgon Regional Police spokesperson Rogers Taitika confirmed that investigations into the death of Khabuya at the hospital are ongoing.
Khabuya’s sister said she pleaded to be taken to the theatre or transferred to another facility but in vain.
‘We kept asking for help, but no one seemed to be listening. It was heartbreaking to watch my sister suffer, and the health workers did nothing just because we didn’t have money,’ Ms Namome said.
However, Dr Sylvia Ntegeka, the medical superintendent of Bududa hospital, said the deceased arrived after she had already lost a lot of blood.
‘The health workers attended to her, but her condition continued to deteriorate,’ she said.
The conflicting accounts underline the difficulty of establishing what happened in individual cases, but some local leaders said Khabuya’s death was not an isolated case.
Other cases of maternal deaths
In May, the death of 31-year-old Jennifer Nasaka at the hospital also triggered a police investigation after her family and local leaders alleged that treatment had been delayed and that relatives had been asked to obtain medicines and make payments.
Nasaka, from Nalwanza Sub-county, had reportedly spent three days at the hospital before she died during childbirth.
Her mother, Ms Lornah Matuka, said medics asked Nasaka’s relatives to buy drugs before they could attend to her.
‘We were asked to buy medicine, and at one point, I even left her phone as collateral [security],’ she said.
For Ms Christine Nandala, the birth of her first child was supposed to mark the beginning of motherhood two years ago, but it became a memory to carry for the rest of her life.
Ms Nandala alleged that she lost her first-born baby due to negligence of the health workers at Bududa hospital.
In 2024, Aidah Bisikwa, a pregnant woman, died at the hospital because of pregnancy complications. Her attendant, Ms Margret Kakayi, alleged that health workers were unkind and harsh in the way they handled the patient and believed the ill treatment she received may have contributed to her death.
RDC Namara said the implicated health workers and administrators will remain out of office until investigations establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths of pregnant mothers and/or newborns and whether failures in service delivery contributed to them.
‘We want to improve service delivery. We have learnt that doctors are giving greater attention to patients in the private wing because they pay for services, affecting the patients in the general wards,’ she said.
Mr James Wabuteya, the chairperson of Nabewo B Village, called for enhanced supervision at the hospital.
Bududa hospital’s long history also reflects persistent challenges. In 2021, health workers reported problems with a sewage system that had reportedly gone decades without rehabilitation, while earlier reports highlighted water-supply challenges.
The State House Health Monitoring Team that spent time in the district recently also highlighted concerns about increasing referrals and deaths among expectant mothers.
The team also identified poor infrastructure, inadequate staff accommodation, low staffing levels, and a shortage of specialists among other challenges affecting service delivery.
Sources also told this publication that blood shortage remains a persistent challenge in the hospital. During the 2025/2026 financial year, Bududa District requested 6,000 units of blood from the Mbale Regional Blood Bank, but the facility reportedly received only 427 units.
More than 150 patients were reportedly referred to Mbale Regional Referral Hospital because of inadequate blood supplies.
However, Dr Ahmed Bumba, the principal medical officer-in-charge of the Mbale Regional Blood Bank, said blood is supplied to health facilities in the region based on requests and that Bududa hospital receives blood in sufficient quantities and within the required time.
Bududa District Health Officer Dr Alex Kakala Mushiso said the relevant officials are working towards reorganising the hospital’s management to strengthen supervision and improve service delivery.
Mr Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the senior communications officer at the Ministry of Health, said investigations into the concerns raised at Bududa General Hospital are ongoing.
‘The ministry would be in a better position to comment on the findings and any action to be taken once the investigations are concluded,’ he said.
The Ministry of Health recorded more than 1,000 facility-based maternal deaths during the 2024/2025 financial year. Obstetric haemorrhage accounted for the largest share of reviewed maternal deaths, followed by hypertensive disorders.
In the Bugisu Sub-region, 78 maternal deaths were recorded among more than 100,000 facility deliveries during the same period.
About Bududa hospital
Bududa General Hospital is one of the longstanding public hospitals serving Bugisu Sub-region. Records place its establishment in the 1960s, with some sources giving 1966 and others 1969.
The hospital is a government-owned general hospital located in Bududa District, about 38 kilometres southeast of Mbale Regional Referral Hospital. It serves residents of Bududa and functions as a referral point for patients from lower-level health facilities in the district.
Its current official capacity is 100 beds, according to the ministry’s health-sector performance data.