The Minister of Health has created a Joint Investigation Team to dig into the alleged clinical malpractices at Baho International Hospital.
This team consists of nine individuals who started their investigations on September 10, 2021 and are expected to provide a comprehensive report in five working days.
The team consists of Dr. Cornielle Ntihabose from the Ministry of Health as its Chairperson, Dr. Lysette Umutesi from RSSB as the Vice Chairperson, Mr. Hesron Byiringiro from Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority, Innocent Kagabo from the National Council of Nurses and Midwives, and Jean Damascene Gasheruka from the Rwanda Allied Health Professional Council.
Other members include Philbert Ciza from the Ministry of Health, Dr. Jean Damascene Hanyurwimfura from the Rwanda Medical and Dental Council, Fidele Bimenyimana from the National Pharmacy Council as well as Donatien Ntagara Ngabo from the Ministry of Health.
The latest of the Nyarutarama based hospital’s woes surfaced on September 8, 2021 when a lady only as of now identified as Chantal lost her life after going for a simple family planning procedure that was fatal and cost her life.
Prior to that saga, the hospital had again come under strong criticism from social media users over their lack of professionalism in areas of customer care as well as hygiene in and around the hospital premises.
In the July incidence, one Twitter user identified as Lucy Mbabazi, went to the hospital with a 10am appointment but was shocked to reach and there were eight people in front of her in the line without appointments and she was finally able to receive help at 1pm.
When she took to twitter to express her dissatisfaction at the service she was given at the hospital, the hospital got defensive through its twitter account, replying to the patient’s complaint that if she had another urgent program to attend after meeting the doctor, she would have asked the customer care team to assist.
The July backlash had prompted the Ministry of Health to carry out a quick assessment into the complaints after which the hospital came out and admitted its shortcomings and asked for forgiveness with a promise to work on the areas that were lacking.
A letter that was also signed by the Chairperson of the hospital, Joseph Kayibanda, read, ‘’We would like to express our sincere apology to the public and especially our patients whom we have let down recently in customer care.”
Barely months after the apology and Ministry of Health’s investigation, one of the hospital’s patients has lost her life which has put the hospital that has been in operation in Rwanda since 2015 into troubles leading to the creation of a team to investigate its activities.