The father of former National Unity Platform (NUP) Member of Parliament Charles Matovu has narrated the final moments of his son, describing a distressing sequence of events that reportedly began when the former legislator suddenly fell ill. His account has raised questions about the medical care he received as his family desperately sought treatment to save his life.
According to the father, Matovu started feeling unwell a few days before his death and later developed vomiting. As his condition worsened, his elder brother rushed him to Rubaga Hospital for medical attention, hoping that doctors would establish the cause of his illness and provide the necessary treatment.
At Rubaga Hospital, Matovu was reportedly admitted and underwent a scan. The father says the examination revealed what doctors described as a delicate blood clot inside his son’s skull. The family was then informed that an operation was needed, with the reported cost estimated at Shs10 million.
However, the family allegedly faced another challenge when the specialised doctors required to perform the operation were reportedly unavailable. With Matovu’s condition causing increasing concern, his relatives began looking for another hospital where he could receive urgent treatment.
The family subsequently contacted Mulago National Referral Hospital, where they were reportedly assured that doctors could help save Matovu’s life. They therefore took him to Mulago, hoping that the medical team would immediately assess his condition and provide the necessary intervention.
According to the father’s account, Matovu was already in a coma by the time they reached Mulago. The family was reportedly told that the doctors needed to handle his case were unavailable because they were attending board meetings and that they would have to wait. The father also claimed that staff at the reception did not accept the scan results from Rubaga Hospital, requiring another scan to be conducted.
The family says the situation was made more difficult by the cost of treatment. The father reportedly explained that they did not have the Shs10 million needed for the proposed operation, alongside an additional estimated Shs2 million per day if the procedure was unsuccessful. As they struggled to find a way forward, Matovu’s condition remained critical.
The father alleges that his son died about four hours after arriving at Mulago Hospital, an outcome that has left the family devastated and raised serious questions about the circumstances surrounding his death. However, the claims about delays, the availability of doctors and the handling of the scan results have not been independently verified. An official account from the hospitals involved would be necessary to establish the full sequence of events and determine whether any failures in care occurred.
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