Africa-Press – Namibia. MORE than 1 000 eye patients at the Windhoek Central Hospital have to wait seven months for treatment due to a lack of specialists in the country, and the ministry says it is not aware of it.
MORE than 1 000 eye patients at the Windhoek Central Hospital have to wait seven months for treatment due to a lack of specialists in the country, and the ministry says it is not aware of it.
Most of the patients have cataracts that require operations, while some operations have been delayed from the time of Covid-19.
A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that is common as one gets older, affecting the eyesight.
State ophthalmologist, Dr Helena Ndume, who confirmed the number of patients on the waiting list, said the country is facing a severe shortage of eye doctors.
“There are currently three eye specialists and one senior medical officer operating in Windhoek. We are also training three medical officers who will be leaving to specialise in South Africa.
“That is just in Windhoek, in the north however there is only one eye specialist in Oshakati,” she added.
Ndume has spent most of her working life restoring the eyesight of hundreds of children and the elderly in Namibia, mostly free of charge.
“We need more eye clinics, eye operation machines and more eye doctors in the country,” Ndume said.
According to Ndume, the waiting list is overwhelmingly long, as they have not been operating for two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The entire country looks up to Windhoek for eye surgery apart from Oshakati, because there is an eye doctor there. We had to stop taking bookings because of the high number of patients,” she said.
She said: “We are so overwhelmed, with so many patients from all the regions in the country. We did the eye camp this year where we started in Katima Mulilo with 300 patients, Rundu (470), Ohangwena (492), Oshikuku (532), Onandjokwe (424) and Oshakati (486). Even after all those surgeries, it feels like we have not done anything yet,” Ndume added.
The internationally renowned ophthalmologist said although they are thankful for the continuous support from the Namibian government, much still needs to be done in terms of eye operations in the country.
“Because of the overwhelming high number of eye patients, we perform one eye for each patient. Then they come back for the other eye on the next scheduled appointment,” Ndume added.
She said sometimes the delay is brought by emergency eye operations like having to remove an eye or an accident that includes the eye.
“It will be ideal to have more eye clinics in every region each with an ophthalmologist that performs eye surgery,” she said.
Health executive director Ben Nangombe yesterday told The Namibian he was unaware of the long waiting list. He said he would find out more from the hospital’s eye department.
TIRED OF WAITING
A frustrated cataract patient, Steven Kanseb, says he has been on the waiting list for six months, awaiting an operation.
“I am tired of waiting, living with a poor vision is very difficult and sad because my eyes are constantly very teary and itchy,” Kanseb said.
Kanseb (57), who travels to Windhoek for eye treatment from Keetmanshoop, said his operation appointment is scheduled for 23 November.
He added that with each passing day, he has hope to see again.
“As we speak, I am unable to see whatever is far, only what is close to me. It has to be very close to me for me to see it,” Kanseb added.
Another patient on the waiting list is Nehemia Tjituka (70), who is partially blind because of cataracts in his eye.
“I have been waiting for so long for this operation. I have booked at the hospital since the beginning of the year. I am not angry I am just tired of waiting,” he said.
Tjituka, who lives at Katutura’s Herero Location says he believes this operation will change his life.
“We need more eye doctors because that process would have been faster, but now I feel like we only look up to one doctor,” he said.
He said he feels like he belongs to a different world with the vision that he is living in.
“I am sad because my vision is so different but I am also excited because the operation month is closer,” Tjituka added.
Contacted for comment, Nangombe said the ministry is not aware of the seven-month waiting period.
Most of the patients have cataracts that require operations, while some operations have been delayed from the time of Covid-19.
A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that is common as one gets older, affecting the eyesight.
State ophthalmologist, Dr Helena Ndume, who confirmed the number of patients on the waiting list, said the country is facing a severe shortage of eye doctors.
“There are currently three eye specialists and one senior medical officer operating in Windhoek. We are also training three medical officers who will be leaving to specialise in South Africa.
“That is just in Windhoek, in the north however there is only one eye specialist in Oshakati,” she added.
Ndume has spent most of her working life restoring the eyesight of hundreds of children and the elderly in Namibia, mostly free of charge.
“We need more eye clinics, eye operation machines and more eye doctors in the country,” Ndume said.
According to Ndume, the waiting list is overwhelmingly long, as they have not been operating for two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The entire country looks up to Windhoek for eye surgery apart from Oshakati, because there is an eye doctor there. We had to stop taking bookings because of the high number of patients,” she said.
She said: “We are so overwhelmed, with so many patients from all the regions in the country. We did the eye camp this year where we started in Katima Mulilo with 300 patients, Rundu (470), Ohangwena (492), Oshikuku (532), Onandjokwe (424) and Oshakati (486). Even after all those surgeries, it feels like we have not done anything yet,” Ndume added.
The internationally renowned ophthalmologist said although they are thankful for the continuous support from the Namibian government, much still needs to be done in terms of eye operations in the country.
“Because of the overwhelming high number of eye patients, we perform one eye for each patient. Then they come back for the other eye on the next scheduled appointment,” Ndume added.
She said sometimes the delay is brought by emergency eye operations like having to remove an eye or an accident that includes the eye.
“It will be ideal to have more eye clinics in every region each with an ophthalmologist that performs eye surgery,” she said.
Health executive director Ben Nangombe yesterday told The Namibian he was unaware of the long waiting list. He said he would find out more from the hospital’s eye department.
TIRED OF WAITING
A frustrated cataract patient, Steven Kanseb, says he has been on the waiting list for six months, awaiting an operation.
“I am tired of waiting, living with a poor vision is very difficult and sad because my eyes are constantly very teary and itchy,” Kanseb said.
Kanseb (57), who travels to Windhoek for eye treatment from Keetmanshoop, said his operation appointment is scheduled for 23 November.
He added that with each passing day, he has hope to see again.
“As we speak, I am unable to see whatever is far, only what is close to me. It has to be very close to me for me to see it,” Kanseb added.
Another patient on the waiting list is Nehemia Tjituka (70), who is partially blind because of cataracts in his eye.
“I have been waiting for so long for this operation. I have booked at the hospital since the beginning of the year. I am not angry I am just tired of waiting,” he said.
Tjituka, who lives at Katutura’s Herero Location says he believes this operation will change his life.
“We need more eye doctors because that process would have been faster, but now I feel like we only look up to one doctor,” he said.
He said he feels like he belongs to a different world with the vision that he is living in.
“I am sad because my vision is so different but I am also excited because the operation month is closer,” Tjituka added.
Contacted for comment, Nangombe said the ministry is not aware of the seven-month waiting period.
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