Justice Batala uncovered a warehouse stocked with over 100 brand-new mattresses. Yet, a few yards away in the wards, sick and vulnerable patients were found lying on bare, rotting bed frames and worn-out "beach" surfaces.
TORORO, UGANDA – The Inspector General of Government (IGG), Justice Naluzze Aisha Batala, led a surprise crackdown at Tororo District Hospital , resulting in the dramatic arrest of the hospital's top leadership and a mortuary attendant after uncovering a deep web of absenteeism, medical fraud, and gross mismanagement.
Justice Batala and her enforcement team from Kampala headquarters swept through the facility unannounced, revealing a crisis where patients are forced to pay bribes for surgery while new hospital equipment gathers dust in locked stores.
The IGG immediately ordered the apprehension of the Hospital Administrator, Dr. Okabe Livingston, his deputy, Dr. Proscovia Awino, and Mortuary Attendant Mr. Owino Moses.
Speaking to journalists on-site, Mr. Kakooza Saviyo Ntensibe detailed the shocking findings that triggered the arrests. According to Mr. Kakooza, investigators walked into the hospital mortuary only to find Attendant Owino Moses performing a postmortem examination on a corpse—a procedure strictly reserved for a qualified pathologist or medical officer.
"The mortuary attendant confessed to conducting these procedures in the absence of his supervisor for over 10yrs now ," Mr. Kakooza stated. "This is a clear and dangerous case of abuse of office. We are seeing unqualified support staff performing professional medical services, which puts the dignity of the dead and public health records at grave risk."
The IGG's findings painted a picture of a facility in moral and operational decay, Rampant Bribery and Corruption,The team discovered that essential services are being held hostage for cash. One distraught female patient told Justice Batala that she was asked to pay UGX 450,000 in order to receive a necessary operation for a womb disorder.
Tororo Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Mr. Sadick Bategaya shared a harrowing testimony with the IGG team. He revealed he was forced to rush to the maternity ward after a mother in labor was abandoned and left screaming in pain by medical staff. "I had to physically talk and plead with the administrators to attend to the woman," RDC Bategaya said. "Government increased their salaries, yet they refuse to do the work they are paid for."
Justice Batala uncovered a warehouse stocked with over 100 brand-new mattresses. Yet, a few yards away in the wards, sick and vulnerable patients were found lying on bare, rotting bed frames and worn-out "beach" surfaces.
While patients complained of being sent to private pharmacies to buy expensive drugs, the IGG team forced open the hospital stores. They found boxes of medicine delivered by National Medical Stores weeks ago still sealed and untouched, while patients suffer without treatment. Additionally, vital cleaning supplies—liquid soap and Jik provided by the government—were found idle while the hospital’s hygiene standards were described as "the worst."
Justice Naluzze Aisha Batala told journalists that the state of Tororo Hospital is a microcosm of systemic abuse within public service. "There are over 100 new mattresses in the stores, but patients sleep on rotting beds. Drugs are here, but patients are buying them outside. This is not just negligence; this is cruelty," Justice Batala said.
