A cleaner at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital has been recognised for his honesty after refusing a Shs1 million bribe to help steal a newborn baby and instead reporting the plot to police, leading to the suspect’s arrest.
Charles Begumisa, who works at the hospital, was honoured by the hospital management with a new smartphone in recognition of his integrity and swift action that helped prevent the attempted baby theft.
According to the hospital, the suspect, Ruth Tindimwebwa, allegedly approached Begumisa with an offer of Shs1 million to assist in stealing a baby from the hospital’s Toto ward. Instead of accepting the money, he immediately alerted police, enabling officers to stop the plan before it succeeded.
The attempted theft occurred on July 15 at around 9:45pm when Tindimwebwa allegedly tried to take a newborn from the ward. She was arrested after Begumisa exposed the scheme.
The smartphone (iPhone 13) was presented to Begumisa by the hospital’s board chairperson, Dr James Mugumya, during a ceremony held in the hospital boardroom on Tuesday.
Mugumya praised the cleaner’s honesty, saying his actions demonstrated exceptional integrity despite earning a modest income. He encouraged health workers across the country to emulate Begumisa’s example by putting patients’ safety above personal gain.
“I wonder how a woman who endured birth pains and delivered would have gone back home without a baby,” Mugumya said.
Hospital director Dr Deus Twesigye described cleaners as some of the hospital’s most valuable but often overlooked workers, noting that their role is essential to patient care and the smooth running of medical services.
He said criminals often target lower-paid support staff with financial inducements, making Begumisa’s decision to reject the bribe even more commendable.
Twesigye also revealed that the hospital has strengthened security to prevent similar incidents. The measures include tighter staff vigilance, expanded CCTV surveillance, mandatory staff uniforms and identification tags, and stricter verification of patients’ next of kin and caregivers after previous cases exposed individuals who posed as attendants to steal babies.
