Uganda’s first female orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Jamirah Namusoke, passes on

Dr Jamirah Namusoke, Uganda’s first female orthopaedic surgeon, has died after living with end-stage kidney disease. Her family announced her death on November 6, 2026. She was buried the same day in Kasolo, Iganga District.

Namusoke headed the orthopaedic department at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, where she helped establish a dedicated operating theatre and ward. 

She also helped turn the department into a training centre for postgraduate medical students. In a tribute, the hospital remembered her for the lives she saved and the medical professionals she inspired. 

One of her patients was British tourist Samuel Leeds, who suffered a severe knee injury in a rafting accident on the River Nile. 

Namusoke performed the emergency operation. Leeds later funded a 64-bed orthopaedic ward through his foundation. The hospital opened the Shs1 billion Samuel Leeds Ward in October 2024. 

Namusoke began her career in 1995 as a dispenser at Entebbe Grade A Hospital. She studied medicine at Makerere University, graduating in 2004, and worked as a medical officer at Kibuli Hospital. She earned a Master of Medicine in Orthopaedic Surgery in 2013 and joined Jinja Regional Referral Hospital in 2016. 

She also lectured at Kampala International University and encouraged young women to pursue careers in surgery. A wife and mother, Namusoke began her education at Bukoyo Primary School in Iganga before attending Tororo Girls’ School and Nabisunsa Girls’ School.

Illness 

Namusoke had battled end-stage kidney disease since at least 2023 and depended on dialysis.

By early 2026 her condition had worsened; she reported acute chest syndrome with suspected pulmonary embolism requiring blood thinners, and she also sustained fractures of the pelvis and femur. Doctors advised an urgent kidney transplant abroad, estimated to cost about US$55,000 (approximately 200 million Ugandan shillings), a sum beyond the means of a public-sector physician.

Friends and colleagues, including Prof Peter Waiswa of Makerere University’s School of Public Health, appealed to the public to help raise about Shs200 million for a kidney transplant and related care in Türkiye. 

Death and Tributes

Her death was announced on 6 November 2026 by family members, including through statements linked to her brother, Hon. Mudiobole (MP for Iganga Municipality). Burial took place the same day in Kasolo, Iganga District.

Jinja Regional Referral Hospital issued a formal statement mourning “our staff consultant, Dr Namusoke Jamirah,” describing her as more than a surgeon—a life-saver whose skill and dedication left a lasting mark. The hospital recalled her role in treating Samuel Leeds and the resulting ward that continues to benefit patients, and celebrated her pioneering contributions, service, and the professionals she inspired.

Tributes from medical colleagues and the public on social media echoed these themes, remembering her as Uganda’s first female orthopaedic surgeon, noting the recent fundraising appeal for a kidney transplant, and highlighting the Samuel Leeds story. Many expressed sorrow that the “healer” could not be saved in time.