MBARARA, Uganda – The management of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) has responded to claims of extortion and the alleged confiscation of bodies by mortuary staff.
The firm response, conveyed through the hospital’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Halson Kagure, comes in the wake of online media reports implicating the hospital’s mortuary staff in an extortion racket involving relatives of the deceased before releasing bodies from the mortuary.
The allegations claim that mortuary attendants charge between UGX 200,000 and 500,000 to release a body after treatment. However, hospital spokesperson Halson Kagure, in a press release, has dismissed these claims, stating that mortuary services are offered free of charge.
According to Kagure, the National Medical Stores (NMS), a government agency mandated to procure, store, and distribute essential medicines to government facilities, supplies the hospital bimonthly with materials for the pathology department to treat bodies and conduct postmortem procedures.
He said preliminary investigations have found no evidence of extortion or the alleged confiscation of bodies, as claimed by online media, but called upon anyone with evidence to present it to the administration for appropriate action.
The media reports mentioned several names, including Nduhukire Venansio, Kanyesigye Stuart, Mugabi Barnabus, Mucunguzi Dismus, and Nsabimana Emmanuel, as being implicated in the extortion racket. Kagure confirmed that they are hospital staff attached to the mortuary but explained that they were put on notice with their contacts shared to ease communication between the wards and the pathology department.
“The individuals listed in the article are, in fact, the latest additions to our pathology department, tasked with reinforcing standard operating procedures for handling bodies. We urge the public to report any suspicious activity,” the press release signed by Kagure reads.
The administration has emphasized that all bodies must pass through the mortuary, citing standard operating procedures designed to benefit both the hospital and caretakers. Kagure stressed that bodies are supposed to be handled by mortuary staff for purposes of infection control, dignity, and documentation.
However, there are allegations that some funeral homes have been conniving with certain staff members to sneak bodies out before reaching the mortuary — a practice the administration strongly condemns. The hospital has since intensified its security measures.
Kagure urged the public to use the administration offices, suggestion boxes, and patient quick response (QR) codes, which have been placed across the facility, to provide feedback. He emphasized that the hospital takes all allegations seriously and encourages anyone with evidence of extortion or malpractice to report it for prompt action.
The administration commended the public for its trust and reaffirmed its commitment to providing high-quality, specialized, and safe patient care services, as well as advancing research for a healthy and productive population.
