Africa-Press – Namibia. Cancer patients in the Erongo region no longer have to endure costly and exhausting trips to Windhoek for specialised care.
This follows the official opening of a state-of-the-art Palliative Care Centre in Swakopmund on Friday by the Cancer Association of Namibia.
The 10-bed facility will provide specialised palliative services to patients in the region, offering pain management, wound care and psychosocial support closer to home. The facility will significantly reduce travelling time, expenses and the discomfort associated with long-distance travel to access care.
Speaking at the inauguration, the Chief Executive Officer of the Cancer Association of Namibia, Rolf Hansen, said the establishment of the Erongo centre marks the beginning of a shift in how end-of-life care is approached in Namibia.
“When you live in a country with a two-tier health system, where you have State and private healthcare, you realise that we need to do much more — not through finger-pointing, but through collective responsibility,” he said.
Hansen said palliative care becomes critical when curative treatment is no longer an option.
“When there is nothing more we can do curatively, what happens to that patient? Where do our people go? The answer was nowhere,” he said.
He noted that in many cases, families are told to take their loved ones home when treatment options have been exhausted.
“In our African culture, we are used to looking after our elderly and our sick at home. But cancer is not an easy disease to manage at home. Wound care and pain management require specialised skills. This is why we made it our mission to find solutions and build a palliative care programme for Namibia,” he said.
Hansen, who lost his mother in 2021 due to Covid-19, said her battle made him realise how important quality care is.
He added that the Erongo centre forms part of a broader vision to expand palliative care services beyond Windhoek, stressing that the association is not in competition with the public health sector, but seeks collaboration.
“We are in competition with no one. We want to take hands with everyone so that we can strengthen each other,” he said.
The project was made possible through support from various donors and corporate partners.
One such partner is Langer Heinrich Uranium mine.
The mine’s finance manager, Bianca Mackenzie, said the company’s partnership with the association began last year when it was approached to assist in establishing oncology services in the region.
“That request marked the beginning of a truly meaningful journey. To date, we have had the honour of contributing just over N$2 million to this remarkable association.”
She said it is an honour for the mine to be part of such a significant project that will play a major role in the community.
“In one way or another, cancer affects us all. For that reason, this Palliative Care Centre truly belongs to our entire community,” she said.
Erongo governor Nathalia /Goagoses, speaking on behalf of health minister Dr Esperance Luvindao, also described the opening of the centre as a significant milestone for the region.
“I lost both my parents and my elder brother to cancer. This subject is very, very close to my heart,” she said.
She thanked donors and stakeholders for their contributions, noting that the association has already raised about N$7 million towards its N$10 million target.
According to /Goagoses, the establishment of the centre reflects a vision of dignity, compassion and unwavering support for those walking the most difficult paths of illness.
“This facility is a blueprint for the future of Namibian healthcare. Public and private healthcare are not competing forces, but complementary pillars of one national house,” /Goagoses said.
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