User:GreenLipstickLesbian/Deaths of Sylvia Nalubowa and Jennifer Anguko

Sylvian Nalubowa and Jennifer Anguko were two Ugandan women who died in childbirth in 2009 and 2010. Their mothers sued the government of Uganda for violating their constitutional rights, and arguing that the lack of doctors and medicine availible in the local hospitals was entirely preventable.

The lawsuit made its way to the Court of Appeal of Uganda, where it was oversawn by Barishaki Cheborion.

"Gov't fined Shs 310m over death of two pregnant women 10 years ago". The Observer (Uganda). 2020-08-21. Retrieved 2024-07-07.

• In August 2020 the Constitutional Court of Uganda held the government responsible for their deaths, finding they had violated the constitutional rights of the deceased their families, and violated the constitutional rights of Ugandan women by not providing basic maternity-health care. Also fined them 310 Ugandan shillings (approx 84000USD/65000GBP if this was in late 2024). Of the money:
  • 70 million USH went to each of Anguko and Nalubowa's mothers for "psychological torture and violation of their rights to life and health"
  • 85 million USH went to each family in general for "loss"
• In court, the case was decided by the justices Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, Barishaki Cheborion, Kenneth Kakuru, Martin Stephen Egonda-Ntende, and Christopher Izama Madrama
  • Cheborion, in the decision, said that the maternal healthcare in Uganda was "not as rosy as [the defense] would wish to portray", citing high rates of maternal deaths across the country, with some hospitals having "maternal mortality rates as high as 2,578 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births".
  • Decision to hold Ugandan gov. responsible was unanimous
  • Also asked the government to increase its spending on maternal healthcare.
• Anguko died at the Arua Regional Referral Hospital
• Nalubowa died at the Mityana Hospital
• In the lawsuit:
  • Plaintiffs: Center for Health, Human Rights and Development, Ben Twinomugisha (prof, maybe founder of org) and Inziku Valente and Rhoda Kukiriza, the mothers of the deceased.
  • Defendants: Ugandan government
  • Gov blamed shortage of medicine & supplies on healthcare staff, which they accused of stealing the drugs, said they had started policies such as "road map to accelerate the reduction of maternal morbidity", which the judges later found they had not implemented. The Observer characterized the government's defense as reliant on "the affidavit of the then Health ministry permanent secretary Dr Asuman Lukwago"