'Convict' scares Windhoek state hospital doctors

The health ministry says doctors at Katutura State Hospital and Windhoek Central Hospital have raised concerns about a man who was shot in the stomach by the police during a robbery in 2007.Health ministry spokesperson Walters Kamaya told Namibian Sun yesterday that staff at both hospitals are concerned about their safety, claiming that the man, who uses several aliases, including Jackson Naande Matta, Nande Valombola and Keith Angelo Bock, has made threats against them and has even physically harassed them.Matta walks around with a gaping stomach wound, which he says causes him constant and severe pain and prevents him from doing any strenuous work.He recently told Namibian Sun that he is in urgent need of treatment to manage the pain, but claims that hospitals are unwilling to assist him.History of alleged antisocial behaviour However, Kamaya said Matta has spent several stints in prison and was admitted to the state’s mental health unit from 18 to 23 April this year, following a referral from surgical ward 3B after he allegedly threatened to kill staff members.According to Kamaya, Matta has a known history of antisocial personality disorder and substance use disorder and had previously been admitted with similar complaints."During his prior admission in November 2024, recommendations were made to the hospital to open a case against him, as he was threatening to kill staff in ward 7B, customer care and pharmacy," Kamaya said. He added that, unfortunately, Matta remains difficult to manage in the therapeutic environment.Kamaya described Matta as manipulative, uncooperative and refusing to engage meaningfully with staff."He is currently not on any pharmacological treatment, as his presentation does not warrant it. He is neither psychotic, manic nor depressed. His behaviour is consistent with longstanding personality pathology rather than acute psychiatric illness," Kamaya explained. According to Kamaya, Matta has a significant criminal history, including charges of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and has served multiple prison sentences in the past."His threats are considered credible and pose a real danger to staff," Kamaya said."Given his capacity to act on them, there are currently limited psychiatric interventions available to address his behaviour effectively, and given the recurrent nature of his threats, the ministry strongly recommends that the security officers accompany him to everywhere he goes in the ministerial building," he added.Stopping a fightMatta (44) told Namibian Sun recently that he was shot in 2007 while trying to break up a fight in a shebeen in Katutura and was taken to Katutura State Hospital, where he underwent surgery.“When I woke up, I told the nurses I was in severe pain. I felt something stabbing me from inside. They told me I was stupid to suggest something went wrong,” he alleged. Matta further claimed that on the third day after surgery, a Cuban doctor inspected his wound and rushed him back to the theatre, where a mysterious object was removed from his stomach.“I was not fully asleep. I saw it, but they never told me what it was,” Matta said, without providing further details.He also accused doctors of failing to stitch him up, claiming they taped his abdomen, leaving an opening for waste to discharge from his side.Matta told Namibian Sun that he fell into a coma for three days and later woke up in Windhoek Central Hospital, where he spent another two months in a coma.He claimed no police case was opened, despite the fact that the person he says shot him is well known.In a letter dated 28 April, which Matta claims to have submitted to the health minister’s office, he does not mention that he sustained the injury while trying to stop a bar fight. He also does not specify where the shooting incident took place.Time behind barsMatta also failed to mention spending time in Windhoek Central Prison, where the Health Professions Council of Namibia wrote to him on 17 April 2018, addressing him by his other name, Nande Valombola.Matta had reported a case of unprofessional conduct against doctors at Katutura State Hospital.In that letter, the council informed him that the Medical and Dental Council had investigated his case based on records from 29 June to 29 July 2009, as the health ministry was unable to locate the remaining documents."The committee discussed the matter and, from the information available, found no evidence of unprofessional conduct," the council wrote.The council also informed Matta that they had been requesting his medical records from the health ministry since 2012.Fears dyingMatta claims that he survives on a social grant and fears that he will die and leave his three children with nothing.“I’m afraid I will die and leave my children with nothing,” he told Namibian Sun, his voice cracking.“I cannot even afford to see a private doctor. I have tried everything, but nothing has been done. Please, I need help.”Now, 18 years after the shooting, Matta is pleading for financial help to see a doctor privately.“I just want to get rid of the pain. Anyone to help me because the N$1 600 social grant is not enough, as I still need to look after my children,” he said. “I just want to live long enough to care for my kids.”

'Convict' scares Windhoek state hospital doctors

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-23

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'Convict' scares Windhoek state hospital doctors

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-23

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