The buzz surrounding the passing of fallen Speaker, Rt. Hon. Jacob Oulanyah continues to grow as Friday 8th April, the day for his burial draws closer.
Today, there was spectacle and grandeur at the Parliament building as the speaker’s body was welcomed to lie in state in a procession only befitting of a fallen hero.
While the country’s most notable paid tribute to the fallen speaker, Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng has opened up about cancer that Jacob Oulanyah has been battling for a number of years.
The minister’s revelations come in the event that the current speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, has asked for a brief medical report from the Minister of Health on the health and death of the fallen speaker.
This follows the event that the health minister was with Oulanyah in Seattle hospital before his demise.
According to the health minister, Oulanyah developed a relatively big swelling on the neck and he had taken it upon himself to seek further treatment in Germany.
“In 2019, Jacob Oulanyah discovered a swelling in the neck. It was a relatively big swelling and he took it upon himself to seek treatment in Germany. The swelling was removed and analyzed and he was told it was cancer,” revealed the health minister.
According to the health minister, no stone was left unturned in the quest to see that he remained alive and healthy.
“On the 23rd of January, we admitted him to Mulago, where he was to stay for two weeks. During that time, we were preparing him to travel and also getting in touch with several hospitals that could provide a therapy treatment that didn’t require more chemotherapy,” she added.
Aceng further revealed that Oulanyah had started treatment, which he finished at the Uganda Cancer Institute.
It is further noted that he subsequently visited several other hospitals, and he faced challenges during the lockdown and the elections as he was not able to be in the hospital.
“The immediate cause of death was multiple organ failure- heart, lungs, liver, and kidney. He had multiple infections, which were discovered when he was here and in Seattle. This was a consequence of total suppression of the bone marrow, “she said.