A former patient of King Faisal Hospital in Kigali is suing the hospital for a wrong cancer diagnosis that resulted in her getting a mastectomy when she did not have the disease.

The case is currently in Gasabo Intermediate Court in Kigali where the plaintiff is seeking compensation of Rwf305 million.

The court’s final verdict is scheduled for July 29.

In early August 2017, the patient was diagnosed with breast cancer at King Faisal Hospital where she had been transferred.

The medical report signed by Lynette Kyokunda recommended that she had cancer and needed surgery to remove the breast mass.

The patient had no money to pay for the surgery at the leading referral public hospital in the country and requested to be admitted at Kanombe Military Hospital which was cheaper.

The process required the patient from Kayonza District to go back to Gahini Health Centre in her home area to get another medical transfer to Kanombe Military Hospital for the mastectomy.

In early March 2018, Kanombe Military Hospital doctors removed the breast tissue as recommended by the examination report from King Faisal Hospital.

Normally, the removed breast tissue is stored and further medical tests are carried out.

No cancer cells

These second tests, released on March 12, showed the patient’s tissue had no cancer cells, which meant the doctors at King Faisal Hospital made a mistake.

The report prompted a joint examination (revised pathological diagnosis) by doctors at both Kanombe Military Hospital and King Faisal Hospital on May 7, which also concluded that “there was no malignancy” of cancer in the patient.

In December 2018, the patient through her lawyer wrote to King Faisal Hospital seeking compensation to which the hospital verbally responded that they were consulting parties concerning her compensation.

However, King Faisal Hospital never communicated back prompting the patient to seek redress at Gasabo Intermediate Court.

The last opportunity for the contending parties to amicably come to a resolution was scheduled for June 21 in a pretrial conference.

King Faisal Hospital never showed up for the pretrial meeting.

The court scheduled the trial for July 8, but King Faisal Hospital still never showed up and no reason was communicated, prompting the judges to let the plaintiff to submit their case in the absence of the defendant.

Diana Kaneza senior Public Relations Officer at King Faisal Hospital told Rwanda Today that they were aware of the case proceedings in court.

“Yes, we’re aware of the case and it’s in court. We can’t comment more than that,” she said.