The nurse's trial started on February 11, 2014.
According to a report from The Associated Press, an HIV-infected nurse, nicknamed "the killer nurse" by the Ugandan press, was accused of injecting her blood into a two-year-old patient.
The AP says that Rosemary Namubiru's case was viewed by the Ugandan press as a disturbing example of the poor hospital standards thought to be commonplace in the country.
Namubiru was originally charged with murder, denied bail and sent to jail. Now, Namubiru's charges have been downgraded to criminal negligence, a charge that carries up to seven years in prison. The nurse's trial started on February 11, 2014.
According to a Q&A on this case conducted by Aids-Free World, Namubiru suffered an accidental needle-prick while trying to insert an intravenous canula into a young patient diagnosed with a severe case of tonsillitis. The nurse cleaned and bandaged her finger before returning to her patient. After the procedure, the child's mother raised the possibility that Namubiru may have picked up and used the same needle rather than a new one.
Aids-Free World notes that after it was confirmed that Namubiru is HIV-positive, police arrested the nurse and the media began suggesting that Rosemary had deliberately tried to infect her patient.
However, upon examination of the evidence before them, the prosecution was forced to drop the murder charge. Unfortunately, the State's decision to drop the murder charge and replace it with criminal negligence was not widely reported by the media. Instead, the media had already convicted her of murder.
While Aids-Free World points out that medical mistakes, accidents and failures to follow safe procedure should be addressed, the facts of this case must be presented accurately if a fair and just verdict is to be reached.
Furthermore, Aids-Free World explains that the Ugandan press' handling of Namubiru's case has only contributed to widespread fear about the safety of the country's health clinics.
Ugandan Maj. Rubaramira Ruranga told The AP that the case against Namubiru confirms that "stigma still rages on" in his country, meaning some people may delay or refuse testing and treatment due to fear of prosecution.
According to AVERT, 7.2 percent of Uganda's population is living with HIV. In fact, HIV prevalence has been increasing since its lowest rate of 6.4 percent in 2006. However, greater access to treatment for HIV-positive people has resulted in a higher life expectancy.
Source : http://www.statecolumn.com/2014/04/hiv-infected-killer-nurse-slandered-by-ugandan-press/
