Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Ministry of Health and Social Services is in the process of ensuring each region gets an intensive care facility, minister Kalumbi Shangula has said.
This came to light after Ohangwena regional governor Walde Ndevashiya pointed out the lack of intensive care units (ICU) in the region during his state of the region address at Eenhana on Wednesday.
Ndevashiya said the hospitals need the ICU facilities and high care units (HCU), to admit critically ill patients.
“The region relies heavily on Oshakati and Onandjokwe intermediate hospitals for the referral of patients. Oshakati is 200 kilometres from Okongo and 65km from Engela and about 100km from Eenhana,” Ndevashiya said.
He added that referrals are done daily for emergencies and weekly for appointments.
The governor added that there is a general shortage of transport, worsened by an ageing ambulance fleet.
Furthermore, he said a lack of accommodation for medical specialists at Engela District Hospital is also hampering effective health service delivery in the region.
“Ohangwena region is not only vast, but it is also the second most populous region in Namibia after the Khomas region. As vast as it is, people at Eenhana and Okongo health districts continue to walk long distances to access healthcare services,” he said.
Ndevashiya said the region plans to build new health facilities in the most-affected constituencies at Okongo, Oshikunde, Epembe, Omulonga and Eenhana.
“This will be done to shorten distances and provide equitable health services to the people,” he said.
In total, the region has 39 public health facilities and 144 outreach points, which provide healthcare to the people across the region.
As part of the regional health directorate’s commitments to providing primary healthcare, the region is constructing two clinics at Onanghulo, Onamafila and Oshikunde constituencies.
“Two more clinics were approved for construction at Elundu/Ohenghono and Oshuuli in Omundaungilo and Oshikunde constituencies respectively,” Ndevashiya added.
Meanwhile, Otjozondjupa region has been running without ambulances for years, regional governor James Uerikua said during his state of the region address at Otjiwarongo on Friday.
According to Uerikua, the region only has two operational ambulances.
The 2011 national census shows that the region had a population of 143 903.
“In terms of ambulance services, the region is still challenged due to the ageing fleet and breakdowns. As we are talking, the whole region only has two operational ambulances, which is a serious concern requiring immediate attention,” Uerikua said.
The governor said the region has four district hospitals, namely Okahandja, Otjiwarongo, Tsumkwe and Grootfontein.
Shangula said not every hospital in the country has ICU facilities, however, the ministry, working towards ensuring that each region has an ICU facility.
“This work is already in progress. In Ohangwena region, the hospital that will have the ICU facility is Engela District Hospital and in Otjozundjupa it will be Otjiwarongo District Hospital,” Shangula said.
The minister added that with the issue of ambulances, the government procures ambulances every year and they are assigned depending on the needs of a specific hospital.
“We distribute the ambulances to the most needy regions. They are procured depending on the availability of funds and dispatched to the regions,” he said.
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