Hoima hospital staff member arrested for theft of blood

Hoima, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A staff member attached to Hoima regional Referral hospital (HRRH) has been arrested for alleged theft of blood from the health facility.  The staff whose particulars have been concealed for fear of jeopardising security investigations was arrested last week from the hospital premises.

Available information gathered by Uganda Radio Network (URN) indicates that the staff member was caught red-handed with four units of blood that he had stolen from the hospital.

Badru Mugabi, the Hoima Resident City commissioner (RCC), confirmed the arrest and detention of the hospital staff to URN.

Mugabi says security acted on an intelligence-led report that a staff member at the health facility had stolen some units of blood.

Security liaised with the hospital management and arrested the staff before he could sneak out of the hospital with the stolen units of blood.  The staff was arrested red-handed with four units of blood that he had stolen.

He says the staff wanted to take the blood to an unknown destination outside the hospital, adding that once investigations are done, the suspect will be arraigned before the court to be charged accordingly.

However, the hospital management has since kept silent on the arrest and detention of one of their staff members.

Currently, there is heightened security surveillance at the Hoima regional referral hospital with Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers deployed at the gate to man the security situation there.

According to Badru, the deployment of the soldiers was approved by the city security committee following a rise in thefts of hospital property, some allegedly involving hospital staff.

He emphasised the hospital’s status as a strategic government installation requiring increased security.

However, the deployment of the soldiers at the hospital has not gone well with patients, attendants and other visitors accessing the health facility.

The patients, attendants, and residents say they find the military presence unusual and unsettling.

The soldiers are conducting thorough checks on everyone entering and leaving the facility, a measure that many say is causing inconvenience.

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URN