Woman Dies After Spending Six Years in ICU at Mbarara Hospital

Claire Kirabo, the woman who spent six years in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital following a rare stroke, has died, bringing to an end one of Uganda’s longest and most remarkable medical journeys.

Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital announced her death on Sunday, describing Kirabo as the longest-staying patient in the facility’s ICU.

“Our longest staying ICU patient is no more. Ms. Claire Kirabo has been under the care of our dedicated multidisciplinary ICU team for six years. Admitted unconscious, she later regained awareness. She now holds the longest ICU stay record,” the hospital said in a statement.

Kirabo was admitted to the hospital in August 2020 after suffering a rare stroke during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, she was 27 years old and working as a secretary in the office of the Lwengo Resident District Commissioner.

According to her family, she was found unconscious by her house helper after apparently falling from her bed and was first rushed to Masaka Regional Referral Hospital. However, because the hospital’s intensive care equipment was not functioning, she was transferred to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital for specialised treatment.

Doctors later established that she had suffered a stroke at the base of the skull, a condition that cut off blood supply to the brainstem and left her unable to breathe without mechanical support.

Dr. Joseph Kyobe Kiwanuka, an anaesthesiologist at the hospital, previously revealed that Kirabo’s heart stopped several times before doctors identified the cause of her condition. She was later placed on a ventilator through a tube inserted into her trachea and remained dependent on life support throughout her stay.

Despite the severity of her condition, Kirabo gradually regained consciousness, giving hope to both her family and medical team. Although she could not speak, she learned to communicate using a computer donated by her American physiotherapist, Zilla Whitehouse. By following letters on the screen with her eyes, she was able to express her needs to caregivers.

Medical staff also reported that she gradually regained sensation in parts of her body, marking significant progress during her prolonged treatment.

Her six-year stay in intensive care is believed to equal one of the world’s longest recorded ICU admissions. Reports indicate that Polish national Janusz Świtaj also spent six years in intensive care after a road accident in 1993 left him unable to breathe independently before eventually returning home on long-term ventilator support.

Kirabo’s treatment placed a heavy financial burden on her family. In 2022, relatives disclosed that they were spending about Shs70,000 every night on ICU care, translating to between Shs3.5 million and Shs4 million each month. Her specialised feeding programme cost an additional Shs2 million monthly, while medical tests conducted outside the hospital further increased expenses.

Despite the challenges, her family remained hopeful throughout her recovery, describing every additional day she survived as a blessing.

Hospital staff also regarded her case as extraordinary. Rosemary Dusabe, the ICU nurse in charge, previously noted that most critically ill patients spend only a few weeks or months in intensive care, making Kirabo’s six-year admission unprecedented at the hospital.

Her death marks the end of an extraordinary fight for survival that inspired both healthcare workers and many Ugandans who followed her story over the years.