Kampala, (UG):- Health experts have expressed concern over the high rate of diagnostic failures and medical errors prevalent in Uganda’s healthcare system.
Dr Geofrey Musinguzi, a researcher in non-communicable diseases at Makerere University School of Public Health who recently recovered from rectal cancer recounted previous medical errors that he encountered in Uganda.
For instance, he revealed an incident where a histology exam conducted at a private laboratory in Kampala was found to be entirely inaccurate by doctors at the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) and German medics.
“The rate of medical errors that I personally experienced if I keep quiet about them, nobody will speak about them. I think we need to tighten, you know! There are leakages in the tap, we need to really tighten those leakages because they can actually cost lives. Some of them are really very unfortunate, and I think it is negligence causing this, and it is really very painful,” said Musinguzi.
“For example, I did a histology examination, a biopsy with one of the facilities in town…when I took the same samples to another facility, everything was just wrong on the medical report. Even myself I circled,” he added.
Musinguzi shared his experiences during the launch of his book, which chronicles his recovery journey from cancer. He called on the government to establish clear guidelines and increase awareness among healthcare workers. He noted that many healthcare professionals lacked basic knowledge on essential aspects of cancer care, such as dietary recommendations for cancer patients or how to manage a stoma or surgically open an abdomen to divert the flow of faecal matter.
Public health specialist Prof. David Serwadda emphasized the importance of routine cancer screenings for early detection and treatment. He pointed out that Musinguzi’s early diagnosis at 44 years old was crucial to his recovery. Serwadda recommended that individuals undergo a colonoscopy every three years to monitor the health of their colon.
However, Dr. Noleb Mugisha, head of the comprehensive cancer community program at the Uganda Cancer Institute, acknowledged that Uganda currently lacks screening protocols for individuals under 40 years.
“For colorectal cancer, we don’t have screening approaches for people who are below 40 years here in Uganda, but for everyone who is above 40 years, we screen them for the disease risk, family history, body weight and also lifestyle. Some of these lifestyles involve high-fat diet, alcohol, and tobacco then you qualify to have some tests. We don’t call it screening tests, we evaluate them on history and physical exam and we choose which test to do for them because screening tests are those that you do for everyone to look for disease,” said Mugisha.
He also noted that while routine colonoscopies are recommended for those over 40, the cost remains prohibitive for many Ugandans. At Mulago National Referral Hospital, where the procedure is heavily subsidized, a colonoscopy costs Shs 400,000. In private facilities, the price can soar to as high as Shs 1.5 million.
Dr Frank Mugabe Rwabinumi, a senior official in the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) department at the Ministry of Health, mentioned that the government is working to make cancer screening more accessible by decentralizing cancer care to all regions in the country.
He stated that the plan is to offer screenings at the Health Centre III level, making these services available to more people.
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