As a requirement for a guard job in Somalia, Godfrey Ntaro was asked to undergo a comprehensive medical checkup, including an HIV test. At The Surgery, he was found to be HIV-negative and, with the result dispatched to the hiring firm, he lost the opportunity. However, he claims two subsequent tests have found him to be HIV-negative, which has left him aggrieved by the result from The Surgery.
A Ugandan man has sued a local hospital for a whopping UGX1 billion, claiming that the medical facility’s ‘wrong diagnosis’ traumatised and cost him a job opportunity.
Godfrey Ntaro claims he lost a job opportunity in Somalia after Naguru-based The Surgery diagnosed him with HIV yet subsequent tests at other facilities later showed his sero status to be negative.
But The Surgery insists their result stands.
In a suit number 204 of 2018, filed before the High Court Civil Division, Ntaro claims he lost job opportunity and endured psychological torture plus emotional and physical trauma arising from what he says was a false HIV diagnosis.
He told the court that he was shortlisted for a job as a security guard in Somalia and was to earn a monthly salary of USD1,200 (about UGX4.3 million) for a period of two years. However, as a prerequisite, the hiring company required that he undergoes a comprehensive medical check-up with their retained hospital, Naguru-based The Surgery.
Ntaro says he went to the hospital on February 2 and underwent several tests, including one for HIV, as was required by the hiring firm.
“The results indicated I was HIV-positive and without any counselling, I was given a prescription of Anti-Retroviral Drugs (ARVs) to start taking with immediate effect,