Two doctors belonging to the recently closed Baho International Hospital will be arraigned in the Kicukiro Primary Court on the 26th of this month on charges related to the death of a female patient who passed-on during a minor surgery. The patient in question, Chantal Ngwinondebe, 54, checked into the Kigali-based hospital early last month, seeking the removal of an inter-uterine device from her body, but unfortunately, she did not make it out of the operation room. The two doctors who treated her: Alfred Mugemanshuro an anesthesiologist, and Gaspard Ntahonkiriye, a gynecologist were then apprehended by the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), as part of a probe into incidence. In addition, the Health Ministry also launched an investigation on the hospital, under which, a joint team was tasked to look into the clinical malpractices that were allegedly taking place there. The team included senior officials like Dr. Corneille Ntihabose, the Head of Clinical and Public Health services at the Ministry of Health, and Dr. Lysette Umutesi, the Head of the Medical Department at Rwanda Social Security Board It also, among others, comprised Hesron Byiringiro, a Rwanda Food and Drug Authority Official, Innocent Kagabo, a National Council of Nurses and Midwives member, Jean Damascene Gasherebuka, the Chairperson of the Rwanda Allied Health Professional Council, and Philbert Ciza, a Ministry of Health official. After the investigation that lasted a little less than a week, the ministry resolved to close down the hospital. Around mid this year, members raised complaints about the hospital, citing issues including poor hygiene at the hospital’s premises, poor customer care and at least one case of misdiagnosis. At that time, the Health Ministry did a brief investigation on the hospital, after which, the hospital management came out and apologised to patients who had received poor services from it, and promised to do better. “We would like to express our sincere apology to the public and especially our patients whom we have let down recently in customer care,” read a letter from the hospital, signed by Joseph Kayibanda, the Hospital Chairperson. “BIH remains committed to implementing the necessary steps to ensure that all patients and customers are taken care of to the highest degree of excellence and in line with the development of Rwanda’s the health sector,” it added.
