A 28-year-old woman who recently gave birth to premature triplets at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital has been left to care for the newborns alone after her husband allegedly abandoned the family upon learning she was expecting three babies.
Obvious Atuhaire, a subsistence farmer from Kagando Cell in Nyakayojo Division, Mbarara City, has remained at the hospital since February 3, when she delivered two baby girls and one baby boy at 35 weeks of pregnancy. Because the babies were born prematurely, they continue to require specialized medical care and close monitoring.
According to Atuhaire, her husband, Moses Tukwatanise, left the family in September last year after an antenatal scan confirmed she was carrying triplets. Since then, he has neither returned nor contacted her.
Living in a rented single-room house in Nyakayojo, Atuhaire said the small amount of money she had saved before giving birth has already been spent on food and other necessities during her prolonged hospital stay.
“I had managed to save about Shs100,000 before delivery, but it has all been used to buy food and medicine while I have been in hospital,” she explained.
Hospital officials say the mother currently lacks dependable financial and emotional support as she prepares to care for three vulnerable newborns. Medical staff have appealed to members of the public, community leaders, and well-wishers to assist her with essential items such as baby clothes, food, diapers, and other medical supplies.
The hospital says the triplets will continue to need extra care because they were born before full term, making support for the family even more critical.
Meanwhile, Tukwatanise’s whereabouts remain unknown, and he has reportedly not made any effort to return or support his wife and the children.
Anyone wishing to offer assistance has been encouraged to contact Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital for guidance on how to support the mother and her newborn triplets.
