How BBS journalist Sseruwooza lost precious hours under unnoticed heart attack

More details have emerged about the sudden passing of BBS Terefayina journalist Joseph Sseruwooza, which sent the media fraternity in shock on Friday morning.

Reports indicate that the reporter and presenter spent his final hours battling what was first treated as a suspected ulcer problem before doctors later discovered that he had suffered a heart attack, according to a friend and colleague.

Sseruwooza, who was widely known for his coverage of Parliament and his work on BBS’ current affairs programme Zuukuka N’Ensonga, died in the early hours of Friday.

His colleague, Rafat Musoke, said Sseruwooza first complained of severe chest pain on Thursday morning.

Musoke narrated that Sseruwooza told him that he suspected he had stomach ulcers and asked him to sit in for him on the morning programme.

After the show, Sseruwooza’s wife called Musoke and told him that his condition was worsening. Musoke said he rushed to their home and drove the couple to Gombe Medical Services, a nearby health facility.

Doctors reportedly treated Sseruwooza as an emergency case after finding that he was struggling to breathe and that his oxygen levels had fallen below 90 per cent.

He was put on a ventilator at around 3pm.

Musoke said doctors initially treated him for ulcers and put him on antibiotics. They also carried out more tests to establish whether the medication he had been taking was too weak. However, Sseruwooza continued to complain of severe chest pain.

By evening, a doctor told them Sseruwooza had received enough antibiotics and that giving him more would amount to an overdose. The doctor then advised them to return home.

But as they drove back, Sseruwooza said he was still unwell. They returned to the hospital.

It was then that doctors decided to carry out a chest scan. Musoke said the results came back in less than a minute and showed that Sseruwooza’s main coronary artery had been blocked by a clot.

The doctor told them that they had about one hour to address the blockage and arranged an ambulance to take him to the Uganda Heart Institute.

Musoke said Sseruwooza appeared to improve during the transfer and was speaking normally.

At the Uganda Heart Institute, doctors began preparing him for a procedure to unblock the artery. Musoke said this was at around 2am on Friday.

However, as doctors continued trying to stabilise him, Sseruwooza died at around 4am.

BBS Terefayina had earlier announced Sseruwooza’s death, describing him as a colleague who had served the station and built a name as one of its leading Parliament reporters.

The station said more details would be shared later.