Medical outreach is the answer - Haufiku

The minister of health and social services, Bernard Haufiku, says regional medical outreach programmes should be strengthened in order to reduce the number of patients flooding to Windhoek, Rundu and Oshakati for treatment.
Haufiku was speaking at the opening of the sixth annual Medical Doctors and Dentists Forum at Ongwediva.
“I personally believe that medical outreach is a necessary intervention to mitigate against flooding of patients to Windhoek, Rundu and Oshakati by taking the service to the regions and districts,” Haufiku said.
“The real and sustainable change as far as healthcare delivery is concerned is to build capacity at regional and district levels and deploy health brigades in the community to educate the community about disease prevention and motivate individuals to develop an early healthcare service seeking habit,” he said.
Haufiku said the health ministry was prepared to work closely with other ministries, such as defence and works and transport, in order to reduce the number of deaths while patients are being transported by road. “We want to eliminate or limit to the absolute minimum the number of patients dying en route to Windhoek or Oshakati,” he said.
“We want to use NDF helicopters to fly our patients from Katima to Rundu, thereby cutting the ... deadly road transportation of patients, even critically ill or traumatised patients, there.
“We also think it’s appropriate to fly critically ill or traumatised patients from Opuwo to Oshakati by helicopter as well as our medical staff from Opuwo to Onyuuva to render medical services there instead of patients spending two weeks on the road travelling to Opuwo,” he said.
He added that the ministry was also considering the feasibility of using the government’s Lear jet to airlift patients who need intensive care in Windhoek.

KENYA KAMBOWE