Tragic Medication Error in Butebo Leaves One Child Dead and Others Hospitalized

A routine health outreach in Butebo District ended in profound tragedy after a serious medication error resulted in the death of one child and the hospitalization of several others.

The incident took place on October 28 at Kabwangasi Health Centre III during an integrated Child Health Day outreach held in Buwase Cell, Kabwangasi Town Council. Instead of receiving standard deworming tablets, 23 children were mistakenly given epilepsy medication.

The tragic mix-up led to the immediate hospitalization of multiple children, with one child succumbing to the effects of the incorrect medication. Medical teams scrambled to provide urgent care to the remaining affected minors to stabilize their conditions.

This alarming incident highlights broader systemic challenges facing the local healthcare system in Butebo District. Reports indicate severe staffing deficits, with as few as two health workers often forced to serve thousands of community members. Additionally, severe transport shortages—leaving departments to share just a handful of operational vehicles—continue to severely hamper emergency response and overall service delivery.

This Butebo tragedy echoes similar medication mix-ups in the country, arriving roughly a year after a comparable incident occurred in Ntungamo District on October 30, 2025.

For more details on this developing story, read the original report on the Daily Monitor.