After 4 weeks of background work, we have finally arrested Muzahura John Baptist, a Senior Clinical Officer of Nyamuyanja Health Center IV in Isingiro District who has been on run after being illegally found with over 500,000 doses of antiretrovirals (ARVs) at his home in Nyamitanga, Mbarara city. The NDA team also recovered at his home 2680 doses of antimalarials and 11,500 malaria testing kits and other assorted medicines including amoxicillin sodium injection, gentamicin injection, calcium lactate tablets, povidone iodine, amoxicillin, all bearing marks applied on the stores under the control of the ministry of health “Government of Uganda for public use only not for sale” that together with his accomplice, Balhubasa Bridget, a Health Information Assistant and Stores In-Charge at the same facility had stolen from a government health facility. Bridget that was arrested two weeks ago was yesterday sentenced to 3 years in prison by the Isingiro Chief Magistrate’s Court.
I must confess, I have met the most challenging assignment of my recent days! Not seen a criminal so calculative and having their backs so covered like this one! Man went through our hands like a slippery snail, the accomplice dashed into a shrine in western Uganda and the hunt continues😁.
But looking at the recoveries, they had to do all that to protect their “gains”.
Over 500,000 doses of ARVs, tens of thousands of assorted medicines all stolen from just two health center 4s in one district!