Fact-check: This photo was not taken in a public hospital in South Sudan

A photo of newborn babies laid on plastic chairs allegedly in a public hospital in South Sudan is FALSE. The picture emanated from Kawempe General Referral Hospital in Uganda in August 2019.

By Emmanuel Bida

A photo shared on WhatsApp about newly born babies on chairs allegedly in a public hospital in South Sudan is FALSE.

The photo was in fact taken at the Kawempe General Referral Hospital, Uganda in August 2019.

“Hello, 211 Check, can you verify for me this photo whether it was taken in one of the public hospitals in South Sudan?” reads a tip received by 211 Check via WhatsApp.

Misleading Image Shared on WhatsApp

A Google reverse image search on the photo returned results showing that the photo of the newborn babies laid on plastic chairs was actually not from any South Sudan hospital but from Kawempe General Referral Hospital, Uganda in August 2019.

The Ugandan government, through its ministry of health, had reacted to the incident.

Conclusion:

211 Check has looked into a photo of newborn babies laid on plastic chairs, allegedly in a public hospital in South Sudan, and found it to be FALSE. The picture emanated from Kawempe General Referral Hospital in Uganda in August 2019.

We advise that any information that has not been reported by various notable broadcast, print or electronic media in South Sudan should be consumed with scepticism.

#FactsMatter, Don’t be a victim of fake news; instead, let’s fight misinformation on both mainstream and alternative media. To avoid spreading false information, don’t share content you’re not sure about or don’t know where it came from.

To learn more about our fact-checking process, go to https://211check.org/how-to-fact-check/ or send us a WhatsApp message at +211 917 298 255 to present a claim, and our team will immediately fact-check it and respond.