Police in Uganda’s Bukedea District have arrested a doctor and two nurses for allegedly assisting a 16-year-old pupil to abort her three-month pregnancy.
The suspects attached to Ebenezer Health Center in Bukedea District reportedly carried out the abortion on April 30, 2023, when the victim whose names have been withheld because she is minor went to their clinic.
Police said the suspects have been hiding after committing the offence.
The victim, a Primary Seven pupil at Demonstration Primary School in Bukedea Town Councill was apparently given some tablets to swallow for abortion.
The East Kyoga Regional Police Spokesperson, SP Ageca Oscar Gregg, said police are actively investigating a case of disappearance and procurement of an abortion, to the prejudice of a a minor.
“The facts leading to the disappearance is that on April 30,2023 at around 4pm, Sarah Akia reported the disappearance of her daughter. A vigorous search was carried out, only to find her at Ebenezer Health Center. At the Health Center the girl claimed she was sick, and that her boyfriend had given her four tablets to swallow,” SP Ageca noted.
He said the victim was rushed to Mission Health Center which further referred them to Bukedea Health Center IV.
“They however went back to Ebenezer Health Center, where the fetus came out and it was handed over to the parties above for internment,” he said.
A police enquiry into the matter led to the arrest of the girl’s boy lover, two nursing officers and the proprietor of Ebenezer Health Center (Bukedea District) who are accused of procuring an abortion, and defilement respectively. A search is on for two other suspects in line with the matter.
According to Police further enquiry also led to the discovery that the facility was operating with an expired license.
“They will be charged with operating a healthy facility without license and procuring an abortion contrary to the law of Uganda upon the requisite legal guidance from the office of the directorate of Public Prosecutions,” SP Ageca remarked on Friday.
