HaRRowing tales involving denial of treatment and subsequent deaths have put the University Central Hospital, Kigali (CHU) in the spot lately, The New Times can report.

Patients referred to the hospital for treatment are in most cases rejected.

Doctors claim that the hospital is in most cases overwhelmed by the number of patients and cannot take in anymore.

A sickening stench welcomes you to the hospital’s wards where low class people get treatment.

The ire of death and desperation fill the air, as patients die in front of doctors on the tables, especially in the emergency ward.

Attendants to the sick and relatives leave the hospital in shock and sadness.

This is the story too familiar to many people who have been to CHUK.

For Peace Uwamahoro, who lost her brother in front of ‘uncaring’ medical staff, the mention of CHU only evokes sad memories.

"They watched on as death snatched away my brother and laughed it off saying he wasn’t the first to die,” she says.
Mukamusoni spent three painful days in the hospital before her 3-year-old baby, Keza, died.

She says the neglect and desperation she suffered during that short time at CHU is so far the most agonising experience in her life.

She claims that nurses on duty pretended to be so busy on other patients.

She sat on the bench, sobbed and looked on haplessly as her baby became weaker and weaker.

After 15 minutes, she tried to call one of the nurses but didn’t respond immediately and by then it was too late to save Keza’s life.

Many other patients or relatives to the sick tell similar horrible stories about CHU.

These stories sharply contradict talk that the hospital has reformed and improved under the leadership of Dr Theobald Hategekimana, its new director.

In one of the latest examples, Mzee Edward Kanobana was on Sunday given a transfer from Nyagatare Hospital to CHU for an operation.

Rushed in a Nyagatare ambulance (registration number GR 339C). Accompanied by Yusuf Zikamwabahari, a doctor from Nyagatare, Kanobana arrived at CHU Emergency Ward at 9p.m.

His transfer medical forms were immediately presented to Dr Ignace Nzayisenga, who was on night duty at the time.

But Dr Nzayisenga told them that there was no vacant bed for new patients.

The patient was later referred to Kibagaba Hospital.

On reaching Kibagabaga, they were received by Dr Gaju Twagirayezu, who again referred them back to Nzayisenga saying they, too, were filled up.

When they did return to CHU at around 2.30a.m, they were told to wait further.

Thereafter, the frustrated relatives and Dr Zikamwabahari decided to return the ailing old man patient to Nyagatare Hospital in the Eastern Province.

But in between the waiting, three patients had been admitted into the same CHU ward.

When contacted Nzayisenga said: "We have no option, since there aren’t enough beds.

The government should construct more hospital blocks that’s when this problem would be solved.”

Asked about the three new patients who were admitted while Kanobana had been locked out, Dr Nzayisenga said that ‘they were in critical condition.’

However, some hospital staff, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions, claimed that many patients buy their way to the hospital beds especially during night hours.

And on the same night, another patient Margaret Mukarwishirwa from Nyamata Hospital was also denied admission. 

She was referred back to Nyamata; with the hospital also saying that there were no beds available.

Another sick lady only identified as Sheila from Remera in Kigali was also reportedly rushed by her mother to CHU recent.

She was reportedly suffering from an infection in the stomach and arrived at the hospital at around 11p.m.

But sources say that upon arriving at the hospital, a team of nurses accused her of having attempted to abort, and made her wait for long without any medical check-up.

After two hours, Sheila’s mother angrily relocated her to Kanombe Military Hospital where they arrived at around 1a.m and the patient was treated within just thirty minutes. 

However, Nzayisenga discussed to discuss specific cases in which patients have been allegedly abandoned by CHUK medical staff.

Repeated efforts to contact the hospital director, Hategekimana, were futile by press time.

This reporter went to his office on Tuesday and waited for long hours to meet him (he was in office), but in vain.

And yesterday, someone who picked up his telephone and identified himself as Hategekimana’s son said the director had travelled to Kenya.

When contacted Health Minster Jean Damascene Ntawukuliryayo said he had no reports of discrimination and corruption in hospitals.

He however denounced such practices saying they were unethical, and promised to launch investigations into the matter.

Ends