Top Story: Fake Doctor Jailed After Posing as Surgeon, Linked to Patient Deaths
KAMPALA, Uganda — A man who posed as a medical doctor and conducted unsupervised surgeries that led to multiple patient deaths has been sentenced by the Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to 15 criminal charges, including forgery, uttering false documents, and obtaining medical registration by pretence.
Francis Taulula, a resident of Pallisa Town Council, was exposed after a year-long fraudulent internship at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, where he performed critical procedures in paediatrics, obstetrics, and gynaecology—despite having no formal medical training.
Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi handed down a sentence based on a plea bargain reached with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Taulula will serve two years and fifteen days for each of seven forgery counts, one year and six months for each count of uttering false documents, and one year and fifteen days for obtaining registration by false pretence. All sentences will run concurrently.
“He operated on patients without qualifications or supervision, with tragic outcomes. The sentence must reflect the gravity of his deception,” said Magistrate Kayizzi.
Deadly Deception
Court documents reveal Taulula forged academic documents, including a transcript from Mount Kenya University, and falsely claimed to be a student at Gulu University. Using these documents, he obtained provisional registration from the Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council (UMDPC) in 2022 and was posted to Hoima hospital as an intern.
During his stint, three patients—Harriet Atugonza, Scovia Atuhura, and Gladys Pifua—died under his care. The court heard that the deaths were due to avoidable surgical complications, including excessive bleeding and infections.
Taulula’s fraudulent scheme continued until May 2023, when he applied for full medical registration. Suspicious inconsistencies in his paperwork led to an investigation by the UMDPC, which revealed he had never studied at Mount Kenya University. A forged Gulu University ID and recommendation letter were also used to secure a volunteer placement at Kumi Health Centre IV, where he was eventually arrested in October 2024.
Fallout and Penalties
Taulula has been ordered to refund UGX 21.6 million, the total amount he earned during his internship, within two years of completing his sentence.
His lawyer pleaded for leniency, citing his youth, remorse, lack of prior offenses, and responsibilities as the sole caretaker of both his elderly father and young child. It was also disclosed that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, which reportedly affects his mobility.
However, the magistrate emphasized the grave breach of public trust and the potential threat to public health, noting that lives were lost due to his deliberate fraud.
The case has sparked renewed calls for stricter vetting processes in Uganda’s health sector and greater oversight of medical trainees and interns.
