A medical pharmacist attached to Uganda’s Nebbi Hospital on Tuesday survived lynching by angry patient attendants after he was allegedly caught with stolen drugs.
The enraged patient attendants surrounded the medical officer before he could move out of the hospital gate after a tip-off that he was carrying government drugs in his laptop bag.
“When we got the tip-off, we then got him before he could jump on a Boda Boda and upon checking his laptop back, we found government drugs,” Ms Maureen Akumu, one of the patient attendants, said.
“When we come to the hospital, we are told to buy drugs from the private clinics yet government sends us free drugs. We spend more than Shs 100,000 treating malaria at private clinics yet these are the same drugs that are stolen from government hospitals,” she added.
The Nebbi District Police Commander, Mr Aminsi Kayondo, said the suspect was arrested with 11 Tins of Amoxicillin capsules, an Automated Blood pressure machine, a Manual Blood pressure machine, 59 Pieces of cannulas, malaria testing kits and two bottles of Lidocaine worth Shs5 million.
“Police have so far arrested three more people in connection with stealing government’s drugs. We are keeping them at Nebbi Central Police Station as investigations into the matter continue,” he said.
The Nebbi Resident District Commissioner, Mr Robert Abak, said this is the second time the suspect has been arrested for allegedly stealing government drugs.
“In 2021, the same person was intercepted in Madi-Okollo with an Ipsum car loaded with government drugs and redeployed after serving his two years’ interdiction. This time he is going to court,” he said.
Nebbi Chief Administrative Officer, Mr David Wasike, the pharmacist had just returned to his workstation after serving his interdiction period.
“That time, he was intercepted at a police checkpoint in Madi-Okollo District with essential drugs worth over Shs800 million,” he said.
