GISAGARA- At least 165 residents who were admitted at Gakoma Hospital after drinking suspected poisoned local beer at a wedding party in Mamba Sector, Gisagara District have been discharged. An eyewitness had told The New Times earlier that “everyone who consumed the sorghum beer which was prepared for the feast fell sick.” This newspaper reported earlier that 151 people were affected, but, in the ensuing days, the toll rose. On Thursday when The New Times re-visited Gakoma hospital, 192 people had been admitted at the hospital. However, a big number of them returned home after doctors found them stable. By press time, only 27 were still undergoing treatment. The Director of Gakoma Hospital, Dr Fulgence Nkikabahizi, said most would return home soon because their health was improving. “We have not identified the real cause, but based on information we gathered, they could all have been victims of food poisoning,” Nkikabahizi said, refuting speculations of cholera outbreak in the region. On Wednesday, the Minister of Health Dr Agnes Binagwaho told a press conference in Kigali that those who were admitted fell sick after consuming unsafe sorghum beer. j.p. Bucyensenge@newtimes.co.rw
