Oulanyah died of multiple organ failure; problems started in 2019, says Dr.Aceng

 The medical report from Seattle, USA where former Speaker Jacob Oulanyah was admitted has indicated that he died of multiple organ failure.

Oulanyah was earlier this year flown out of the country to the US for specialized treatment but died on March, 20,2022.

On Tuesday, the Minister for Health, Dr.Jane Ruth Aceng read the brief report from the US hospital in which she informed the country that the former speaker died of multiple organ failure.

“The immediate cause of death was multi organ failure. The  heart failed,  the lungs failed,  the liver failed  and the  kidney failed,” Dr.Aceng told parliament on the request of Speaker Anita Among.

She told parliament that Oulanyah’s liver started failing while he was still in Uganda as well as the lungs that she said had started collecting fluids.

“The kidney and heart failed while in Seatle. He also had multiple bacterial infections while still here and viral infections while in Seattle. The treatment for viral infections further suppressed the bone marrow.”

 Dates back 2019

The Health Minister told parliament that Oulanyah’s predicaments started in 2019 when he discovered he had a swelling in the neck.

“It was a relatively big swelling and took it upon himself to see k medical attention in Germany. The swelling was removed, analysed and he was told it was a cancer. He was started on treatment which he finished in Uganda cancer institute,”Aceng said.

She noted that Oulanyah then visited several other hospitals in a bid to get treatment for the same illness but noted there were challenges when the lockdown set in and the 2021 election campaigns that he didn’t get time to go for treatment abroad.

Aceng however noted that during this, time, Oulanyah was being prepared to be flown abroad  by getting in touch with hospitals to provide treatment that didn’t require multiple chemotherapy  which had already been done on him and had suppressed his bone marrow.

She noted that by the time he was flown out of the country, the situation had deteriorated.

According to Dr.Aceng, because of the suppressed bone marrow, his body could not produce white and red blood cells whereas he had also developed multi-drug resistant bacteria which he had acquired due to staying in hospital for too long.