1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,360 Speaker 1: What you hear in this podcast does not implicate any 2 00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:05,760 Speaker 1: individual or entity in any criminal activity. The views and 3 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: opinions are solely those of the individuals participating in the podcast. 4 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:15,840 Speaker 1: Previously on the missionary, they're providing nutrition services to combat 5 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:19,320 Speaker 1: a crisis that literally the hospitals and others were unable 6 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:22,799 Speaker 1: to handle just due to the volume. When I moved there, 7 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: there was a mentality of you have two patients, which 8 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 1: one has a better chance of life this one than 9 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: this one? You pick in this one you leave. It's 10 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:34,640 Speaker 1: like you were color coding people on a war field. 11 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: I was fit to like provide medical care and whatever 12 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 1: were over my head, like this is serious, serious, make 13 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:47,239 Speaker 1: you take you care. So, based on the allegations you 14 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: have heard that she was an unlicensed medical facility, that 15 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: she was providing medical care without having medical qualifications, do 16 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 1: these allegations surprise you, given you what you know about 17 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:03,160 Speaker 1: how and geos operated here, Of course they don't surprise me. 18 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 1: Jim mc graham was twenty two years old when he 19 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 1: found a pamphlet recruiting young healthy men to serve their country. 20 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 1: It was November nineteen and millions of American men were 21 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 1: going abroad to fight in World War Two, but Jim 22 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 1: was a conscientious objector. Instead of taking up arms, he 23 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 1: found other ways to help by planting trees fighting forest fires. 24 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 1: But he wanted to do more. This call for volunteers 25 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: sounded like an opportunity to provide a worthwhile service, not 26 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 1: just to our country, but to all humanity. Jim volunteer 27 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:54,000 Speaker 1: to be a guinea pig in a study called the 28 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 1: Minnesota Starvation Experiment run by Dr Ansel Keys of the 29 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 1: University of Minnesota, DA. He was featured in a documentary 30 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: by Colorado State University. We knew fairly well what a 31 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:08,880 Speaker 1: star of person looked like and what starvation did to 32 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 1: the human body, but until this time, there had never 33 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:15,680 Speaker 1: been an opportunity to measure exactly what changes take place 34 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 1: in the body under starvation conditions, Nor had there ever 35 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,640 Speaker 1: been any scientific tests to determine what best to feed 36 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 1: a star of person to bring him or her back 37 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 1: to health. The project's goal to learn how to treat 38 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:33,959 Speaker 1: starvation after the war ended. The experiment was fairly simple. 39 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 1: Thirty six men were semi starved for six months. Their 40 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:43,920 Speaker 1: diet was modeled after famine diets of bread, potatoes, porridge, 41 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:47,440 Speaker 1: and turn ups. They continued walking at least twenty two 42 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 1: miles a week, taking classes in the university and working 43 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: at the lab. Jim was six ft two and he 44 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: began the study at one hundred seventy five pounds, but 45 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 1: it wasn't long before the famine diet took a toll. 46 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 1: Most of us suffered from edema, the collecting of liquid 47 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 1: in the body, some more than others. I always woke 48 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 1: up in the morning with my face puffy on the 49 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:13,680 Speaker 1: side I was lying on. Sometimes my ankles and knees 50 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:16,680 Speaker 1: were puffy. I look in the mirror and see that 51 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:19,799 Speaker 1: my eyes looked hollow, my cheeks were only a thin 52 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:23,119 Speaker 1: covering for the bones in my face, and my hair 53 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: was getting thinner. If I tried to smile, it was 54 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:34,080 Speaker 1: just a grimace, and I never laughed. As Jim and 55 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:38,320 Speaker 1: the other participants rapidly lost weight, some dropped to a 56 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 1: mirror one hundred pounds, and the psychological changes mounted, fatigue, depression, paranoia, 57 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: symptoms that previously hadn't been attributed to starvation. We became 58 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 1: very irritable and intolerant. Little things seemed to annoyance. We 59 00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 1: were no longer polite with each other or with ssitors. 60 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:03,960 Speaker 1: It seemed as if the veneer of civilization had been removed, 61 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 1: leaving bear the animal underneath. Years later, researchers would publish 62 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 1: one thousand, three hundred pages on the scientific effects of starvation. 63 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:18,640 Speaker 1: The research remains key to a lot of what we 64 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:23,160 Speaker 1: know and still don't know about malnutrition. I have experienced 65 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: hunger and the apathy and depression that goes with it, 66 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 1: but we lived in sanitary quarters under the constant care 67 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:35,919 Speaker 1: of doctors. Furthermore, we knew that it would all be 68 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:40,400 Speaker 1: over on a certain date. I often think how horrible 69 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:43,680 Speaker 1: it would be to be starving and never know when 70 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 1: it would end, if ever. In association with I Heart Media, 71 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 1: I'm Halema ge Condy, Malcolm Burnley, I'm Roger Gola and 72 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:58,839 Speaker 1: this is the missionary episode six, one hundred five children. 73 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 1: There are a few basic facts that everyone agrees on. 74 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:15,599 Speaker 1: Renee had run a health facility for malnourished children, It 75 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:19,600 Speaker 1: was unlicensed for years, and at least one hundred five 76 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:24,280 Speaker 1: children died, But those facts alone didn't support the worst 77 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 1: of the allegations that Renee was a baby killer. We've 78 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 1: passed through years worth of Renee's blogs, social media posts, 79 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:39,280 Speaker 1: talked to missionaries and activists, but there hasn't been much 80 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:44,040 Speaker 1: else to support these accusations and allegations. It was obvious 81 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:47,280 Speaker 1: to me that there were more perspectives out there, more 82 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 1: people we needed to speak with, a completely different world 83 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:54,760 Speaker 1: that we hadn't tapped into yet. That was Uganda's health 84 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: care system and the near dozen medical staff who worked 85 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:01,720 Speaker 1: with RENEE for years. I knew that I had to 86 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 1: get into that world. The first time I traveled throughout 87 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: eastern Uganda, passing by farms huge plantain and cassava plants, 88 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:19,479 Speaker 1: pineapples and sugarcane fields, I thought, how could there be 89 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:24,520 Speaker 1: severe malnutrition in a place like this? Um Dr Esther 90 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:29,560 Speaker 1: I am a pediatrician. I also have a PhD in 91 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:32,679 Speaker 1: a clean connutrition and I am the head of Manama 92 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:38,120 Speaker 1: Jimon Nutrician Unit, Malago National Referra Hospital. Dr Barby Rickare 93 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: has been working on malnutrition for more than twenty years 94 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:44,040 Speaker 1: and then one of the GYMO Nutrition Unit is the 95 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:49,000 Speaker 1: top children's nutrition unit in the country. About one percent 96 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:53,280 Speaker 1: to two percent of children, especially in the five years 97 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 1: of age, severely malnourished, so it is that big. On average, 98 00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 1: we admit about one hundred children per month with severe 99 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:08,600 Speaker 1: acute malnutrition just on one world that nutrition or unit, 100 00:07:09,279 --> 00:07:17,000 Speaker 1: so that's is quite a big number. Malnutrition remains a complex, 101 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:22,200 Speaker 1: mysterious problem, especially for children in Uganda. They're quite a 102 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:27,720 Speaker 1: number of causes or predisposing factors to malnutrition. People are 103 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:31,200 Speaker 1: surprised why we have a lot of food and yet 104 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:34,320 Speaker 1: we have malnurised children. But these children may not be 105 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:38,560 Speaker 1: taken in adequate amounts. And also the quality of the 106 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 1: food and how is this food prepared. In Uganda, the 107 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:46,880 Speaker 1: main stables of today are mostly starchry foods like cassava 108 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:50,600 Speaker 1: and maize that lack a lot of vitamins that babies need. 109 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:54,360 Speaker 1: A lot of other countries have addressed this by fortifying 110 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:58,280 Speaker 1: or enriching their stable foods. In the US, wheat flour 111 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 1: is often enriched with iron and folic acid. Table salt 112 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:09,600 Speaker 1: has iodine, but that hasn't happened much in Uganda. Food 113 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:14,000 Speaker 1: isn't the only factor either. Also diseases. We find some 114 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:19,520 Speaker 1: chronic diseases like tibi or v or diarrhea, diseases predisposed 115 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:24,720 Speaker 1: that children getting malnutrition. These combined factors were deadly for 116 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:30,040 Speaker 1: malnourished children There's another oddity to malnutrition too. Instead of 117 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:34,640 Speaker 1: becoming skin and bones, some children's bodies swelled, especially around 118 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:38,679 Speaker 1: their stomachs. It's an image that many Americans are likely 119 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: familiar with seeing on the news starving children with bloated bellies. 120 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:46,680 Speaker 1: The swelling is called edema, and it's similar to what 121 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:51,319 Speaker 1: happened to the adults under the Minnesota experiment. With some children, 122 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:55,240 Speaker 1: their faces can become so swollen as if they're having 123 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:59,839 Speaker 1: an allergic reaction, their eyes get puffy. In Ghana, this 124 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:02,920 Speaker 1: is called quash or car, meaning the disease of the 125 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:07,080 Speaker 1: displaced child. It mostly refers to when a baby is 126 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:11,959 Speaker 1: weaned prematurely after their mothers become pregnant again. Quash your 127 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:15,640 Speaker 1: car also has local names in Uganda of Bosi and 128 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:21,199 Speaker 1: Luganda and Lose and Lugisu. Experts like Dr Esther Barbera 129 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:25,600 Speaker 1: Care are still trying to research why certain children develop 130 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:30,560 Speaker 1: it and why others simply become incredibly skinny. Around the 131 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:34,720 Speaker 1: time that Renee had established serving his children, malnutrition was 132 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:37,840 Speaker 1: the direct cause of more than a third of deaths 133 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:41,959 Speaker 1: for children under five years old in Uganda, and malnourished 134 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:45,920 Speaker 1: children or nine times more likely to die than healthy ones. 135 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:49,400 Speaker 1: Even when children were able to get to hospitals like 136 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:53,160 Speaker 1: i Mlago and be seen by experts, there were still 137 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:57,439 Speaker 1: a high chance they would die. They'll take an example 138 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:01,240 Speaker 1: of ard that is them Lego and a demnutrition or 139 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:04,800 Speaker 1: unit they come verily to when they are critically ill 140 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:09,120 Speaker 1: with these complications and you try your best, but still 141 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:19,880 Speaker 1: about ten to may day. This is unacceptable and acceptably high. 142 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 1: As grim as those numbers are, it's actually an improvement. 143 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:28,000 Speaker 1: Ten years ago, the mortality rate for children with severe 144 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:33,160 Speaker 1: malnourishment in Uganda was even higher. Sometimes between twenty and 145 00:10:34,679 --> 00:10:39,760 Speaker 1: of severely malnourished children died in hospitals. That was the 146 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:43,480 Speaker 1: scale of the problem and that's why Uganda created a 147 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:47,240 Speaker 1: new system to build more health centers and clinics in 148 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:52,600 Speaker 1: hard hit areas. Testing testing, Okay, so could you just 149 00:10:52,679 --> 00:10:57,680 Speaker 1: say your name, um and your profession. Okay. My name 150 00:10:57,760 --> 00:11:02,640 Speaker 1: is r Dr Honey Forbach. I'm a retired medical practitioner 151 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:07,240 Speaker 1: and a nutritionist. I worked in the National Hospital Hospital 152 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 1: from nine and then moved on to the National Nutrition 153 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:19,760 Speaker 1: Unit where I worked until two thousand and nine. Then 154 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:25,920 Speaker 1: I moved into programming and have recently retired Dr Hannover 155 00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:30,320 Speaker 1: Pacho is another top child nutrition expert in Uganda. In 156 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:33,559 Speaker 1: two thousand nine, the year when they moved back to Uganda, 157 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:37,080 Speaker 1: Dr Pacho had turned her sights on working with the 158 00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:40,920 Speaker 1: Ugandan Health Ministry to create policies to address the child 159 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:46,560 Speaker 1: malnutrition problem. She was instrumental in developing Uganda's new national 160 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:51,400 Speaker 1: guidelines on managing these cases, a step by step manual. 161 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:55,679 Speaker 1: Up until then, treatment of severe malnutrition had mostly been 162 00:11:55,679 --> 00:12:00,360 Speaker 1: centered around hospitals. What was wrong with that approach? The 163 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:05,880 Speaker 1: approach was not wrong, except that there were challenges. One 164 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:09,320 Speaker 1: is that the care give us would stay for very 165 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:14,120 Speaker 1: long and in five distance away from their families because 166 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:18,720 Speaker 1: those facilities were few. And also in the course of 167 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:23,960 Speaker 1: staying in hospitals, they would get cross infections. Yes, the 168 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:27,760 Speaker 1: plan Doctor but Show helped create was to decentralize the 169 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 1: care of severe and moderately malnourished children. The goal was 170 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:36,640 Speaker 1: to reach children who weren't accessing hospitals and to stop 171 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:41,160 Speaker 1: children from becoming severely malnourished in the first place. The 172 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:47,080 Speaker 1: community specifically is supposed to have a structure that identifies 173 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 1: children with manetrition and refer them ali to the health facility. 174 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:59,080 Speaker 1: This model has been shown to reduce the mortality of 175 00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:02,839 Speaker 1: child malned Chrisian. The idea was to move them up 176 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,960 Speaker 1: the pyramid of care as the cases got more complex. 177 00:13:07,679 --> 00:13:11,640 Speaker 1: Children with moderate malnutrition could be treated out patient, as 178 00:13:11,679 --> 00:13:14,679 Speaker 1: in they go to rural health clinics for checkups and 179 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:18,880 Speaker 1: get nutritional formulas, but they stay at home. On the 180 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:24,360 Speaker 1: other end were severe cases of malnutrition, especially those with complications. 181 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:27,760 Speaker 1: These children were supposed to be enrolled in full time 182 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:31,440 Speaker 1: in patient care, but this was also a last resort 183 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:35,680 Speaker 1: for only the most intractable cases. Once a child's health 184 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:39,200 Speaker 1: was stabilized, they could be transferred back home for the 185 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:43,440 Speaker 1: rest of their treatment. If this sounds familiar, it's because 186 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:46,600 Speaker 1: these are the guidelines. Renee says. She modeled serving his 187 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:51,040 Speaker 1: children after sending out social workers to teach about nutrition 188 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:54,679 Speaker 1: and screen for children with severe malnutrition in the villages, 189 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:58,719 Speaker 1: and then taking those sickest children back to their facility 190 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:02,760 Speaker 1: in Jina. I asked Dr Bachou which region was the 191 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:06,000 Speaker 1: worst in two thousand nine, the year Renee sat up 192 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:09,960 Speaker 1: serving his children. I it was an eastern region, Eastan 193 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:14,480 Speaker 1: region Lamutumba. It was a real case of severeli Malarui. 194 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:18,360 Speaker 1: It was really an emergency that the country had to 195 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:22,400 Speaker 1: move in to ensure that a nutrition in it was established. 196 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:28,800 Speaker 1: The name Nama Tumba sounded familiar. Later I went through 197 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:32,680 Speaker 1: my notes again and there it was. One of the 198 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:38,920 Speaker 1: children in the court case against Renee. His name Tolala Kifabi, 199 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:56,360 Speaker 1: his village Namatumba. We began this podcast and reporting this 200 00:14:56,520 --> 00:15:00,680 Speaker 1: story with the court case against Renee. The fact that 201 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:05,440 Speaker 1: two Ugandan women were suing an American missionary over the 202 00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:09,440 Speaker 1: deaths of their children. That to me was the most 203 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:13,240 Speaker 1: important part of this story because it seemed like this 204 00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:17,560 Speaker 1: was a rare opportunity for Ugandan's to get justice. We 205 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:22,040 Speaker 1: had heard so many allegations, but these were the actual victims. 206 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:26,560 Speaker 1: Their stories were essential and piecing together what went wrong. 207 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:32,560 Speaker 1: Starting with the court documents that Renee submitted, I thought 208 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:36,000 Speaker 1: I could find material evidence that Renee was running this 209 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:40,720 Speaker 1: quack facility. Now to Lale is one of two children 210 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:44,440 Speaker 1: whose mothers are suing Renee Bach. He died after being 211 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:48,840 Speaker 1: treated at serving his children for seven days. His mother, Gimbo, 212 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:53,480 Speaker 1: was given fifty thousand Ugandan shillings less than fifteen dollars 213 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:57,480 Speaker 1: for her loss and a bag of beans. We mentioned 214 00:15:57,480 --> 00:16:03,120 Speaker 1: his story in episode one. In the court documents, Kimbo says, quote, 215 00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:07,320 Speaker 1: the women from Serving his children were not doctors and 216 00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:10,960 Speaker 1: may have done something unprofessional that led to the death 217 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:15,360 Speaker 1: of my child. Essentially, she thinks something went wrong, but 218 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:20,040 Speaker 1: doesn't know exactly what now. The lawyers say Serving his 219 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:24,040 Speaker 1: children violated to Lally's right to life because the facility 220 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:28,400 Speaker 1: wasn't licensed at the time. The case also states that 221 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:32,400 Speaker 1: they violated his right to privacy because to Lali's photo 222 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:41,600 Speaker 1: was posted on Serving his Children's social media account. I 223 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:45,640 Speaker 1: managed to track down the health workers who oversaw Tolali's case. 224 00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:49,600 Speaker 1: It was early two thousand thirteen when to Lali first 225 00:16:49,680 --> 00:16:54,840 Speaker 1: became sick in his village of Namutumba. Namatumba is about 226 00:16:54,880 --> 00:17:00,720 Speaker 1: an hour away from two major hospitals. The local health 227 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:04,919 Speaker 1: center diagnosed to Alale with malnutrition and directed Gimbo to 228 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,560 Speaker 1: buy nutrition supplements. This should have been a sign that 229 00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:12,800 Speaker 1: the system was working, but according to Gimbo, she couldn't 230 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:17,240 Speaker 1: afford the medicine, so she returned to the village empty handed. 231 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:22,000 Speaker 1: Sophie said, those are the children. Renee and her employees 232 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:24,720 Speaker 1: were trying to help. She didn't get children who were 233 00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:28,520 Speaker 1: fine from the villages. She was getting children from the 234 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:32,679 Speaker 1: ridges who are desperate to bring them and how at 235 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:38,119 Speaker 1: least for them to reford Esmail. That's Sophie Mutessi, a 236 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:41,360 Speaker 1: midwife who worked at serving his children from around two 237 00:17:41,359 --> 00:17:44,760 Speaker 1: thousand twelve to two thousand fifteen. She has a lot 238 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:48,960 Speaker 1: of experience bridging the gap between villages and hospitals. To 239 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:52,840 Speaker 1: Lally was a prime example of those gaps. Even when 240 00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:57,800 Speaker 1: services are nearby, many Ugandans, especially the poor, faced too 241 00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:01,679 Speaker 1: many barriers to accessing them. Patients have to pay for 242 00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:07,119 Speaker 1: basic supplies like gloves, gaus, bedsheets, medicines, even mats to 243 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:10,520 Speaker 1: sleep on, and they have to pay for that upfront. 244 00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:14,320 Speaker 1: Those who can visit the hospital can't always stay long. 245 00:18:15,119 --> 00:18:18,439 Speaker 1: That's what made serving his children different. They paid for 246 00:18:18,480 --> 00:18:22,800 Speaker 1: everything by time they reached hospital. Then need is not 247 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:27,800 Speaker 1: only treatment. The mother is stressed, that's taken three days 248 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:32,280 Speaker 1: without eating, no, so not everything blessed sickness. Don't you 249 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:37,440 Speaker 1: reach at Rene's place, the treat her psychological and give 250 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:41,680 Speaker 1: her class time for resting. In July two thou thirteen, 251 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:46,200 Speaker 1: Gimbo was pregnant with another child by now months had 252 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:49,399 Speaker 1: passed since they visited the health center, so to a, 253 00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:56,959 Speaker 1: Lali's condition had likely gotten worse. Serving his children passed 254 00:18:56,960 --> 00:19:00,800 Speaker 1: by Gimbo's village during one of their outreaches, the staff 255 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:04,120 Speaker 1: asked her to take to Lale to the facility in Ginger, 256 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:07,240 Speaker 1: So Gimbo sent her mother to go with tolal A. 257 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:10,919 Speaker 1: But this didn't seem to be the same serving his 258 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:16,160 Speaker 1: children that Jackie Kramlck, the American nurse and volunteer, had criticized. 259 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:20,760 Speaker 1: By now, the organization had heated her warnings and hired 260 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:27,240 Speaker 1: trained nurses to join the staff. When Tolally arrived at 261 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:31,199 Speaker 1: serving his children, he was in really bad shape. He 262 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:36,440 Speaker 1: was severely dehydrated, his body was swollen, his skin was peeling, 263 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:41,720 Speaker 1: and his condition would only continue to worsen. Sophie Mutessi 264 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:44,879 Speaker 1: took care of tolal A on at least two shifts. 265 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:48,359 Speaker 1: According to her notes, Tolally was no longer able to 266 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:52,640 Speaker 1: eat the special formulas made for severely malnourished children, which 267 00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:56,600 Speaker 1: is a bad sign. He also had diarrhea and was vomiting. 268 00:19:57,280 --> 00:19:59,919 Speaker 1: Looking at her own notes, Sophie said that there was 269 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:02,840 Speaker 1: no difference between the food they were feeding him and 270 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:07,359 Speaker 1: what was coming out of Tol's body. That was a comment, 271 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:12,000 Speaker 1: why is that serious for the rest of us. They 272 00:20:12,080 --> 00:20:15,960 Speaker 1: weren't medical like you are putting milk here. It was 273 00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:20,399 Speaker 1: the milk coming down, which means no digestion was taking place. 274 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:24,280 Speaker 1: Does that mean the digestive system just isn't working down? 275 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:32,639 Speaker 1: Not working hm, urinating one or four times, dehydrated, Continue 276 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:38,200 Speaker 1: with plants, rehydrate your got you chosen. He spent, So 277 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:44,240 Speaker 1: that was the end of your shift. One of the 278 00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:48,000 Speaker 1: early lessons of the Minnesota starvation experiment was that you 279 00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:51,840 Speaker 1: have to be very careful about how you refeed or 280 00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:57,000 Speaker 1: rehabilitate patients. Dr Barbara Carey told me about something called 281 00:20:57,040 --> 00:21:02,200 Speaker 1: refeeding syndrome. Refitting syndrome is a phenomenon or a condition 282 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:06,600 Speaker 1: that occurs to manorite children when you're beginning to feed them. 283 00:21:07,119 --> 00:21:12,240 Speaker 1: They have had electrolytes that imbalanced, that are not in 284 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:15,880 Speaker 1: right order, so when you begin to feed them, then 285 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:20,200 Speaker 1: that may worsen the condition. This causes a rapid crossing 286 00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:24,520 Speaker 1: of some electrolytes into the cells, others out of the cells, 287 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:28,000 Speaker 1: and then that causes derangement in the body function and 288 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:32,560 Speaker 1: then they may Die. Here's Dr Barbara carry talking about 289 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:36,360 Speaker 1: the therapeutic milk products they use that Lago and how 290 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:39,280 Speaker 1: they monitor at the way we manage this or we 291 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:43,159 Speaker 1: prevent it is we use a feed usually we call 292 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:46,480 Speaker 1: it therapeutic feed, or it is like a medicine, but 293 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:51,080 Speaker 1: in form of food. It has the right balance of 294 00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:55,320 Speaker 1: these nutrients and we give it cautiously slowly until the 295 00:21:55,400 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 1: body is learning or beginning to learn to use these nutrients. 296 00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:04,119 Speaker 1: Then always tip up the nutrient of value, especially the 297 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:07,760 Speaker 1: protein and the energy, so that now this baby or 298 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:11,119 Speaker 1: this toad begins to gain weight again. So it is 299 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:14,960 Speaker 1: actually a serious killer if you're not using the rate 300 00:22:15,119 --> 00:22:19,480 Speaker 1: feeds in the beginning before the body function returns to them. 301 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:23,760 Speaker 1: The special formula she's talking about our f SEM five 302 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:27,280 Speaker 1: and F one two powders you can mix with water, 303 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:31,720 Speaker 1: developed in the nineties as an emergency treatment for child malnutrition. 304 00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:36,440 Speaker 1: Refeeding syndrome is something that critics like Jackie said Renee 305 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:39,880 Speaker 1: was clueless about. But if you feed a child too 306 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:43,280 Speaker 1: much or the wrong type of substance too early, it 307 00:22:43,359 --> 00:22:47,240 Speaker 1: can kill them. Even though Renee had access to these 308 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:51,159 Speaker 1: feeding formulas, which are normally distributed by units f or 309 00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:54,119 Speaker 1: the Ministry of Health. If a child is in danger 310 00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:57,399 Speaker 1: of refeeding syndrome, they should be around specialists who can 311 00:22:57,440 --> 00:23:01,360 Speaker 1: recognize it. In that case, I thought maybe Renee had 312 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:04,560 Speaker 1: failed to refer to Lally to a hospital when he 313 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:07,160 Speaker 1: should have been, which would have been a clear sign 314 00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:10,919 Speaker 1: of negligence. But in the court case, Renee says she 315 00:23:11,119 --> 00:23:15,120 Speaker 1: left the country the day to Lally arrived at the facility, 316 00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:19,240 Speaker 1: and she submitted her passport pages as proof, which means 317 00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:22,280 Speaker 1: in theory, she wasn't there to make the hour. By 318 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:27,280 Speaker 1: our calls about to Lally, that decision would have fallen 319 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:31,960 Speaker 1: on the most senior person there. Mudasi causa as first 320 00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:37,600 Speaker 1: professionalism msconsin she was employing professionals, qualified people. That's what 321 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:41,239 Speaker 1: I knew. Oh, I know she was employing professionally. They 322 00:23:41,280 --> 00:23:45,680 Speaker 1: didn't have quacks there, okay. Mudosie is a clinical officer 323 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:48,920 Speaker 1: who works at the now Lifenia Children's Hospital in Ginger. 324 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:53,480 Speaker 1: They're kind of in between nurses and doctors. They play 325 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:57,280 Speaker 1: a big role in filling the healthcare gaps because they 326 00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:02,240 Speaker 1: can practice medicine, diagnosed cases, performed surgeries, but they don't 327 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:06,760 Speaker 1: spend as many years studying medicine as doctors. We Darcie 328 00:24:06,840 --> 00:24:09,399 Speaker 1: would come into serving his children a few times a 329 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:13,280 Speaker 1: week to check on the children, write prescriptions and sometimes 330 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:17,160 Speaker 1: refer them to the hospital. Actually, when I found him, 331 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:20,720 Speaker 1: he was working at the hospital. As these are doctors notes. 332 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:27,040 Speaker 1: Do you recognize these? Yeah, I suppose my handwriting. I 333 00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:30,360 Speaker 1: had him read over the notes on Tolally's case. Then 334 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:32,520 Speaker 1: I asked him if there was any sign that he 335 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:37,360 Speaker 1: had requested that Tolally be referred to the children's hospital. 336 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:43,000 Speaker 1: He didn't. He thought serving his children was managing the case. Fine, 337 00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:47,000 Speaker 1: this one, this one was it was story. But you 338 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:50,800 Speaker 1: would do, you'd manage. That's why when you look at 339 00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:54,960 Speaker 1: to these records, I was saying, well, there's some improvement. 340 00:24:56,200 --> 00:25:01,280 Speaker 1: The new complaints were not there. Yeah, so cooking and stable. 341 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:09,159 Speaker 1: Days later, on July sixteen, two thousand thirteen, Totally died 342 00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:16,000 Speaker 1: of severe malnutrition. I asked Dr Patow to read over 343 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:20,160 Speaker 1: Tollly's medical documents as a second opinion, to see if 344 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:25,119 Speaker 1: there were any irregularities, any sign of misconduct, anything that 345 00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 1: went wrong reading water, you know, how He examined the patient, 346 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:34,600 Speaker 1: came up with the tentative diagnosis, and then returned that 347 00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:37,920 Speaker 1: the treatment protocol, I think he must have had some 348 00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:43,520 Speaker 1: you know background, yeah, or for managing this kiss? Is 349 00:25:43,560 --> 00:25:45,879 Speaker 1: there any point so far where this child should have 350 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:49,080 Speaker 1: been in a hospital? Do you think? I don't know, 351 00:25:49,119 --> 00:25:52,560 Speaker 1: I don't know to commit. But then it's this jealous 352 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:55,760 Speaker 1: put on oxygen, this child was put on ivy. This 353 00:25:55,920 --> 00:26:01,760 Speaker 1: child was you know, put on antibiotics, the antibiotics and 354 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:08,600 Speaker 1: was being monitored. So not knowing this situation A then 355 00:26:09,119 --> 00:26:12,440 Speaker 1: I would assume that this is a health facility with 356 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:16,480 Speaker 1: the trained health focus. What if it's me She has 357 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:23,760 Speaker 1: all this sophisticated a medical equipment and she is not trained. 358 00:26:26,359 --> 00:26:30,320 Speaker 1: Who who decides to when to take action or not action? 359 00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:37,159 Speaker 1: I was just as baffled as Dr Pato. Initially, I 360 00:26:37,200 --> 00:26:40,600 Speaker 1: thought by tracking down for Lolly's journey, I would find 361 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:45,080 Speaker 1: the prime example of Renee's medical misconduct, whether she had 362 00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:48,760 Speaker 1: done medicine herself or made decisions that had led to 363 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:53,240 Speaker 1: to Allalay's death, But to Alway's case, hadn't done that. 364 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:58,320 Speaker 1: In fact, it showed the opposite that Renee had hired 365 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:03,280 Speaker 1: qualified Uganda ners in medical professionals at least by two 366 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:07,000 Speaker 1: thousand thirteen. It showed that they were the ones who 367 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:10,679 Speaker 1: had treated to Lala and didn't bring him to the 368 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:16,320 Speaker 1: local hospital. Ultimately, it showed that Tolally had died despite 369 00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:21,399 Speaker 1: their best efforts because severe malnutrition is so hard to 370 00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:26,880 Speaker 1: treat at that stage. That makes Tolal a one about 371 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:31,440 Speaker 1: least one hundred five children who died at Serving His Children, 372 00:27:32,119 --> 00:27:35,160 Speaker 1: And I keep thinking back to that number. We've talked 373 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:40,119 Speaker 1: about it throughout this podcast. One hundred five children died. 374 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:44,280 Speaker 1: I mean, it's shocking every time I hear it. And 375 00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:47,840 Speaker 1: remember those are just the numbers that Serving his Children 376 00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:51,160 Speaker 1: admits to, and they provided them a couple of years ago, 377 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:56,320 Speaker 1: and given the inaccuracies in their documentation, that number could 378 00:27:56,320 --> 00:28:00,280 Speaker 1: be way higher. We don't have the medical docum mints 379 00:28:00,359 --> 00:28:03,080 Speaker 1: of the other children who died at Serving His Children. 380 00:28:03,960 --> 00:28:07,359 Speaker 1: That said, the number one hundred five still seems like 381 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:11,879 Speaker 1: a lot to me. Here's the math. Between two thousand 382 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:16,639 Speaker 1: and ten and two thousand fifteen, one hundred five children 383 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:20,240 Speaker 1: out of nine hundred forty who were treated in patient 384 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:24,560 Speaker 1: at Serving His Children died. That's a mortality rate of 385 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:29,359 Speaker 1: eleven percent. But that's nearly half the mortality rate in 386 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:35,439 Speaker 1: Uganda's top hospital after learning about how hard it is 387 00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:40,640 Speaker 1: to treat severe child malnutrition. That number doesn't look as 388 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:44,360 Speaker 1: bad as it did in the beginning. Based on that 389 00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:47,720 Speaker 1: number alone, it could be tempting to say that serving 390 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:52,600 Speaker 1: his children helped save more children from malnutrition than had died. 391 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:59,480 Speaker 1: But there's one obvious caveat that we can't forget. Even 392 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:03,880 Speaker 1: though to Lolly had gotten quality care from quality Ugandan 393 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:09,200 Speaker 1: medical professionals when he died, serving his children was still 394 00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:28,800 Speaker 1: an unlicensed facility. Wake up, Africa, you're trying to come 395 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:36,560 Speaker 1: open up your pie gone Helen. Welcome to Africa. Watch 396 00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:38,800 Speaker 1: on the Dr Mombi Show. My name is Dr mombys Iraki. 397 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:41,360 Speaker 1: How you're doing. How's everything going? I pray you well 398 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:45,200 Speaker 1: in everything earthing. I just hope everything is going absolutely 399 00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:47,480 Speaker 1: fantastically for you and you're living your best life. Now. 400 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:50,200 Speaker 1: I've got a story that got me just I even 401 00:29:50,200 --> 00:29:52,920 Speaker 1: wanted to just throw this at someone for real. It 402 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:56,360 Speaker 1: got me so emotional. And it's all about this a 403 00:29:56,520 --> 00:30:01,280 Speaker 1: fake ass, you know, white supremacist. You ain't even a doctor. 404 00:30:02,480 --> 00:30:06,600 Speaker 1: This YouTube show aired on February five, two nineteen, when 405 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:09,280 Speaker 1: the news of renee Bach and serving his children was 406 00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:14,560 Speaker 1: just starting to spread online. She wasn't deported, she wasn't charged, 407 00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:18,320 Speaker 1: The health ministry in Uganda didn't belaunch any kind of 408 00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:22,880 Speaker 1: investigation against and she's still in Uganda till this day. 409 00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:26,800 Speaker 1: It's crazy. So what they're doing now is their demanding 410 00:30:26,880 --> 00:30:30,840 Speaker 1: that this question has nagged me throughout this story. In 411 00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:34,160 Speaker 1: the past year, I learned Uganda does have a lot 412 00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:38,960 Speaker 1: of rules and regulations that are sometimes complex and bureaucratic, 413 00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:42,680 Speaker 1: but they're there. So how had Renee been able to 414 00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:47,640 Speaker 1: buy and procure medicine for years, to coordinate blood transfusions, 415 00:30:47,720 --> 00:30:53,200 Speaker 1: get lab tests, order specialized nutritional formulas, and eventually higher 416 00:30:53,440 --> 00:30:59,360 Speaker 1: legitimate staff, all without a license. We couldn't both say 417 00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:02,760 Speaker 1: that you gone that had laws and regulations that Renee 418 00:31:02,800 --> 00:31:08,400 Speaker 1: hadn't followed without recognizing that someone was responsible for enforcing them. 419 00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:13,240 Speaker 1: Could you introduce yourself. I'm doctor Cartoon by Cento executive 420 00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:17,040 Speaker 1: or you're gonna Medican Dental Console. It's a government which 421 00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:20,520 Speaker 1: is in charge of regulity in the practice of doctors 422 00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:24,840 Speaker 1: and their facilities. I'm in doctor Saintongo's office in Kampala. 423 00:31:25,360 --> 00:31:28,880 Speaker 1: It's not too far from the country's biggest hospital and Lago. 424 00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:32,480 Speaker 1: Doctor sin Tongo is one of those matter of fact 425 00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:36,320 Speaker 1: expert types. He just doesn't beat around the bush. He 426 00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:40,080 Speaker 1: told me he hadn't heard about these latest accusations that 427 00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:44,280 Speaker 1: Dr Mumby was talking about against renee Bach or serving 428 00:31:44,320 --> 00:31:48,160 Speaker 1: his children until he got a call from the Minister 429 00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:52,520 Speaker 1: of Health saw that the video running. I don't seen it, 430 00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:57,040 Speaker 1: so she wanted it to know. Are the issues to 431 00:31:57,160 --> 00:32:01,920 Speaker 1: do that fast? So it today and the producer a 432 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:05,000 Speaker 1: primary portion. So now he had to get to the 433 00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:09,280 Speaker 1: bottom of it fast. Doctor sin Tongo assembled a three 434 00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:12,760 Speaker 1: person team to go out and investigate the claims against 435 00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:18,920 Speaker 1: serving his children. Dr Katumba tried to find other people 436 00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:22,959 Speaker 1: who had worked at serving his children in Ginger or 437 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:25,960 Speaker 1: the mothers in the court case, but they didn't find 438 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:30,000 Speaker 1: them and they had limited funds to continue investigating, so 439 00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:32,800 Speaker 1: we didn't get to the opportunity. I tried to get 440 00:32:32,880 --> 00:32:38,840 Speaker 1: to details at what happened Deforma clinics because unfortunate today 441 00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:42,400 Speaker 1: put in a good doctor. We also didn't have contact 442 00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:46,680 Speaker 1: of the people had to complain. I had some better 443 00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:49,719 Speaker 1: luck and more time to track down some of these folks. 444 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:52,840 Speaker 1: I knew that there were plenty of nurses and doctors 445 00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:56,560 Speaker 1: involved with serving his children over the last ten years, 446 00:32:56,600 --> 00:32:59,880 Speaker 1: but only a handful were part of the actual court case. 447 00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:04,080 Speaker 1: They would have seen firsthand how things had worked there, 448 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:07,600 Speaker 1: and it seemed like no one else was talking to them, 449 00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:11,800 Speaker 1: not the lawyers, not the media, and not the government investigators. 450 00:33:12,760 --> 00:33:16,720 Speaker 1: After months of pouring over court documents and medical databases 451 00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:20,720 Speaker 1: and criss crossing the country on buses and motorcycles, I 452 00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:25,720 Speaker 1: managed to track down eight nurses, three doctors, a nutritionist, 453 00:33:25,840 --> 00:33:29,240 Speaker 1: and a medical officer who at one point or another 454 00:33:29,480 --> 00:33:32,800 Speaker 1: had worked at Serving his Children, but only a few 455 00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:35,600 Speaker 1: were willing to go on the record about their time there. 456 00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:38,160 Speaker 1: It was easy to see why they wouldn't want to 457 00:33:38,160 --> 00:33:41,880 Speaker 1: get involved in this mess. After all, if something wrong 458 00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:45,760 Speaker 1: had happened at Serving his Children and they didn't report it, 459 00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:49,800 Speaker 1: they could lose their licenses. But one of them, a 460 00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:52,560 Speaker 1: nurse named Violet, was willing to go on the record. 461 00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:56,880 Speaker 1: So I'm on the way to Kagadi, which is a 462 00:33:56,920 --> 00:34:01,280 Speaker 1: town that's in western Uganda, close to order with the DRC, 463 00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:04,880 Speaker 1: and I'm searching for a nurse named Violet. So I 464 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:07,680 Speaker 1: called her a few days ago and explained what we're 465 00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:11,520 Speaker 1: trying to do. Um it's a Sunday, so I'll probably 466 00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:13,120 Speaker 1: have to wait for her to get out of church. 467 00:34:14,480 --> 00:34:17,640 Speaker 1: Violent Auto Beatrix had worked at Serving His Children in 468 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:21,440 Speaker 1: two thousand twelve for about six months. She's now a 469 00:34:21,480 --> 00:34:24,680 Speaker 1: government nurse and the opposite side of the country, about 470 00:34:24,680 --> 00:34:28,080 Speaker 1: eight hours away from Ginger. When we met at a hotel, 471 00:34:28,280 --> 00:34:32,680 Speaker 1: I realized she hadn't heard anything about the case. She 472 00:34:32,920 --> 00:34:35,560 Speaker 1: was exactly the kind of source I wanted to speak 473 00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:38,920 Speaker 1: with when I just got there. Nothing much was told 474 00:34:38,960 --> 00:34:43,800 Speaker 1: to me about how the organization started, but being someone 475 00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:46,400 Speaker 1: who's looking for a job, someone who is jobless, I 476 00:34:46,560 --> 00:34:50,560 Speaker 1: just took on. They didn't tell me that we have 477 00:34:50,680 --> 00:34:56,000 Speaker 1: a opened that organization wasn't experienced medically. Violet told me 478 00:34:56,120 --> 00:34:59,640 Speaker 1: she had her reservations about serving his children. She had 479 00:34:59,719 --> 00:35:02,759 Speaker 1: a lot lot of experience working at big NGOs like 480 00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:06,640 Speaker 1: Doctors without Borders, but she didn't think she and her 481 00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:11,320 Speaker 1: fellow nurses were equipped to deal with extreme cases of malnutrition. 482 00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:15,319 Speaker 1: And she was a trained midwife, but also didn't think 483 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:18,960 Speaker 1: they were equipped to have women giving birth there. Violet 484 00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:22,240 Speaker 1: knew her own limits, but didn't think Renee knew hers. 485 00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:25,440 Speaker 1: I would see how read she would read through books, 486 00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:30,400 Speaker 1: and then she would apply, let's see her reading medical books. 487 00:35:30,560 --> 00:35:32,880 Speaker 1: Would see how read medical books and an apply and 488 00:35:32,880 --> 00:35:35,760 Speaker 1: and she would she would do the medical, the nothing, 489 00:35:36,960 --> 00:35:42,080 Speaker 1: the treatment, all that. Yeah, Violet agreed line by line 490 00:35:42,160 --> 00:35:45,920 Speaker 1: with what Jackie Kramlick, the American nurse, had said. Renee 491 00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:51,920 Speaker 1: did blood transfusions, I v s, intramuscular injections, spinal taps, 492 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:57,000 Speaker 1: femeral artery punctures. So here was someone who categorically thought 493 00:35:57,120 --> 00:36:00,760 Speaker 1: Renee had done wrong. This is the type of person 494 00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:04,320 Speaker 1: who could have said something at the time. I asked 495 00:36:04,320 --> 00:36:07,560 Speaker 1: her if she did, there's no I would say, but please, 496 00:36:07,719 --> 00:36:10,239 Speaker 1: I want to see your papas, but please wise your 497 00:36:10,239 --> 00:36:13,080 Speaker 1: certificate displayed here. There was no way I would ask that. 498 00:36:13,800 --> 00:36:18,400 Speaker 1: Why not, Well, it would look like I'm attacking her. 499 00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:22,680 Speaker 1: When I entered there, I saw her actions. She acted 500 00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:27,120 Speaker 1: a medical person. She introduced everything to me and we 501 00:36:27,160 --> 00:36:31,480 Speaker 1: started practicing together with her. So I kept it to myself, 502 00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:33,879 Speaker 1: and I'm like, after all, I won't work here for long. 503 00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:37,800 Speaker 1: Violet told me that government nurses like her make about 504 00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:41,120 Speaker 1: one hundred dollars a month. She needed the job at 505 00:36:41,160 --> 00:36:44,520 Speaker 1: serving his children. This was something I had heard from 506 00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:48,480 Speaker 1: other former employees too. They said the nurses were too 507 00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:53,360 Speaker 1: subordinate to say anything, So I wondered, what about the doctors. 508 00:36:53,840 --> 00:36:57,799 Speaker 1: We need a doctor, plain and simple, a doctor who 509 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:00,560 Speaker 1: can be there in emergencies, give your action to our 510 00:37:00,640 --> 00:37:03,960 Speaker 1: nursing staff, and provide an in house diagnosis for the 511 00:37:04,040 --> 00:37:08,640 Speaker 1: many complications that come with severe malnutrition. In May two 512 00:37:08,640 --> 00:37:12,680 Speaker 1: thousand twelve, a year before Tolali's case, Renee put out 513 00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:17,120 Speaker 1: a blog post asking for donations twenty two thousand dollars 514 00:37:17,160 --> 00:37:20,719 Speaker 1: so she could hire a doctor and a nutritionist. A 515 00:37:20,760 --> 00:37:24,440 Speaker 1: doctor who can come alongside us as we strive to 516 00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:27,400 Speaker 1: save the lives of children that faced the horrible reality 517 00:37:27,400 --> 00:37:32,200 Speaker 1: of malnutrition. A doctor who shares our passion for serving 518 00:37:32,239 --> 00:37:36,080 Speaker 1: the Lord. Until she hired that full time doctor, she 519 00:37:36,239 --> 00:37:41,440 Speaker 1: had other doctors coming in periodically. One was Dr Alex Wassamoka, 520 00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:44,200 Speaker 1: who came in a few times a week. He worked 521 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:46,919 Speaker 1: at serving his children for about six or seven months 522 00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:50,040 Speaker 1: in two thousand twelve. Now he's a doctor at Ginger 523 00:37:50,080 --> 00:37:53,360 Speaker 1: Hospital and when he looked back at serving his children, 524 00:37:53,719 --> 00:37:56,879 Speaker 1: he saw nothing but things to be proud of. So 525 00:37:57,000 --> 00:38:00,320 Speaker 1: there was no time, not even a single time, when 526 00:38:01,200 --> 00:38:07,200 Speaker 1: there was no nurse to attend to the children. These 527 00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:11,640 Speaker 1: children were actually treated in the best way I could say, 528 00:38:11,840 --> 00:38:16,359 Speaker 1: the best way possible. In his view, sometimes kids were 529 00:38:16,440 --> 00:38:19,880 Speaker 1: better off at serving his children than the hospital. It 530 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:22,960 Speaker 1: was well equipped and had to study supply of oxygen, 531 00:38:23,080 --> 00:38:27,320 Speaker 1: which many hospitals often run out of, and it was small, 532 00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:30,919 Speaker 1: so it had a good nurse to patient ratio. When 533 00:38:30,960 --> 00:38:34,680 Speaker 1: I compared that with what was in the hospital, you know, 534 00:38:34,880 --> 00:38:38,520 Speaker 1: the hospital, the numbers were so enormous. The nurses in 535 00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:42,440 Speaker 1: the hospital are a few story could not attend to 536 00:38:43,040 --> 00:38:47,359 Speaker 1: all the children in time and as required. You know, 537 00:38:47,480 --> 00:38:52,080 Speaker 1: when the nurse patient ratio is not a proper then 538 00:38:52,160 --> 00:38:55,640 Speaker 1: even the quality of care drops because then the children 539 00:38:55,680 --> 00:39:02,359 Speaker 1: were too many compared to the staff available. Dr Wassamocha 540 00:39:02,719 --> 00:39:05,880 Speaker 1: wasn't the only one who thought this. I spoke with 541 00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:09,120 Speaker 1: at least two other doctors who had worked part time 542 00:39:09,160 --> 00:39:12,839 Speaker 1: at serving his children who thought the facility overall had 543 00:39:12,840 --> 00:39:16,400 Speaker 1: done a good job. So did nurses like Sophie Mutessi, 544 00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:20,880 Speaker 1: who you heard from earlier. It was exactly these sorts 545 00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:25,640 Speaker 1: of competing narratives that had stumped Dr Katumba's investigation. He 546 00:39:25,680 --> 00:39:29,640 Speaker 1: had heard news about RENEE killing hundreds of kids performing 547 00:39:29,640 --> 00:39:34,320 Speaker 1: medicine trampling on Uganda's rules. But then when he managed 548 00:39:34,360 --> 00:39:38,080 Speaker 1: to visit Serving his Children's brand new facility less than 549 00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:41,759 Speaker 1: two hours outside of Ginger, he found staff who were 550 00:39:41,800 --> 00:39:46,080 Speaker 1: properly licensed, a facility with all of the right paperwork 551 00:39:46,520 --> 00:39:50,520 Speaker 1: and an administration that was going by the book. Where 552 00:39:50,520 --> 00:39:54,000 Speaker 1: were all of the dead kids? The main component was 553 00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:58,799 Speaker 1: in India District unaffortunated. So we wrote a report and 554 00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:04,080 Speaker 1: it had administer that that was our immutation, that we 555 00:40:04,200 --> 00:40:08,760 Speaker 1: couldn't find a compliment for the Gingha site. The issue 556 00:40:08,800 --> 00:40:12,120 Speaker 1: was that all of the accusations against Renee were made 557 00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:15,240 Speaker 1: about work she had done at an old facility in Ginger. 558 00:40:15,880 --> 00:40:19,480 Speaker 1: The team didn't have the time or resources to investigate 559 00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:23,480 Speaker 1: claims at a facility that no longer existed, and even 560 00:40:23,560 --> 00:40:26,160 Speaker 1: if they did, they would have probably heard the same 561 00:40:26,239 --> 00:40:30,480 Speaker 1: conflicting things that I did. The report they submitted concludes 562 00:40:30,600 --> 00:40:35,239 Speaker 1: this that they are unable to support allegations that children 563 00:40:35,280 --> 00:40:39,279 Speaker 1: died in large numbers due to serving his children, and 564 00:40:39,320 --> 00:40:43,680 Speaker 1: that they found no evidence that Renee Boch was treating children. 565 00:40:44,320 --> 00:40:47,000 Speaker 1: The report was released, but the case was kept open 566 00:40:47,239 --> 00:40:50,960 Speaker 1: in case any additional evidence or sources ever came forward. 567 00:40:55,719 --> 00:40:59,400 Speaker 1: The experience that Dr sin Tanko had, I think speaks 568 00:40:59,440 --> 00:41:02,919 Speaker 1: to how the whole story has unfolded. We had entered 569 00:41:02,960 --> 00:41:08,760 Speaker 1: the story with huge, big, scary, outrageous testimonies about Renee 570 00:41:08,800 --> 00:41:11,799 Speaker 1: and what she had done, the number of children that 571 00:41:11,840 --> 00:41:15,600 Speaker 1: had died, the court case, but so far a lot 572 00:41:15,640 --> 00:41:20,120 Speaker 1: of that evidence wasn't actually supporting the worst of the allegations. 573 00:41:20,719 --> 00:41:24,359 Speaker 1: In fact, if anything, it suggested that it wasn't as 574 00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:31,319 Speaker 1: bad as we thought. But what had become crystal clear 575 00:41:31,360 --> 00:41:34,719 Speaker 1: to me was that there had been a bigger structural 576 00:41:35,080 --> 00:41:40,000 Speaker 1: failure that goes well beyond Renee. And this mattered to 577 00:41:40,120 --> 00:41:43,080 Speaker 1: me as somebody who has covered health and human rights 578 00:41:43,080 --> 00:41:45,680 Speaker 1: in the region, because at the end of the day, 579 00:41:45,880 --> 00:41:49,920 Speaker 1: Renee's only one person and Geo's like serving his children, 580 00:41:50,000 --> 00:41:54,759 Speaker 1: had been encouraged allowed to operate in Jinja for years. 581 00:41:55,200 --> 00:41:58,920 Speaker 1: They were able to interact with other hospitals and facilities 582 00:41:59,040 --> 00:42:03,040 Speaker 1: and pharmacy ease. And despite the fact that yes, Uganda 583 00:42:03,160 --> 00:42:07,640 Speaker 1: is a country with laws and regulations, those same laws 584 00:42:07,640 --> 00:42:12,759 Speaker 1: and regulations hadn't managed to regulate her, and staff who 585 00:42:12,760 --> 00:42:24,319 Speaker 1: were licensed, who were credible hadn't stopped it either. Next 586 00:42:24,360 --> 00:42:28,160 Speaker 1: time on the missionary, I just couldn't understand how people 587 00:42:28,160 --> 00:42:30,279 Speaker 1: could look at the same evidence we were looking at 588 00:42:30,960 --> 00:42:33,879 Speaker 1: and come to such different conclusions. And I said, but sir, 589 00:42:34,160 --> 00:42:36,400 Speaker 1: these kids will die if we send them home. And 590 00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:39,040 Speaker 1: he said, you're right, they will die, but it's no 591 00:42:39,239 --> 00:42:41,759 Speaker 1: longer your problem, So get them out of here at 592 00:42:41,800 --> 00:42:44,239 Speaker 1: before five o'clock before I'm taking you to jail. I 593 00:42:44,320 --> 00:42:46,640 Speaker 1: remember I would walk into like cafes and people would 594 00:42:46,680 --> 00:42:49,120 Speaker 1: leave when they saw me, Like I went to like 595 00:42:49,239 --> 00:42:52,120 Speaker 1: missionary events, and people would like refuse to speak to me. 596 00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:56,040 Speaker 1: And this was my sort of ah ha moment. This 597 00:42:56,160 --> 00:42:59,720 Speaker 1: was my wake up call that I had been lied 598 00:43:00,040 --> 00:43:18,319 Speaker 1: to directly to my race. The Missionaries produced an association 599 00:43:18,360 --> 00:43:21,560 Speaker 1: with iHeart Media. It's written and reported by Roger Gola, 600 00:43:21,680 --> 00:43:25,480 Speaker 1: Helene mcgegandhi, and Malcolm Burnley. It's produced by Michelle Lands 601 00:43:25,560 --> 00:43:28,920 Speaker 1: and Ryan Murdoch. Mark Lotto is our story editor. Our 602 00:43:28,960 --> 00:43:33,040 Speaker 1: executive producer is Mongiter. Our fact checker is Austin Thompson. 603 00:43:33,560 --> 00:43:37,000 Speaker 1: Mixing by Josh Rogison and voice acting by Taylor Kaufman.