Engela hospital hit by staff resignations over lack of housing

Engela District Hospital, which serves around 190 000 patients in the Ohangwena region, is urgently seeking land for staff housing after a string of resignations linked to inadequate accommodation.

Acting senior medical officer Dr Eva Velikoshi said on Friday that four staff members had resigned since January over the lack of housing.

“We need land. Our doctors continue to resign due to the lack of accommodation," she said.

"They are forced to commute long distances for work."

She said the hospital currently has only one pharmacist because two have resigned, "and we do not have a gynaecologist due to similar reasons".

Velikoshi said the hospital urgently needs more medical professionals, particularly as it prepares to become the region's intermediate hospital, which will necessitate additional staff and resources.

She raised the concerns during a meeting on Friday with Ohangwena governor Kadiva Hamutumwa, who visited the hospital to assess its challenges and discuss possible solutions.

Slim resources

Velikoshi also highlighted other challenges facing the hospital, including the urgent need to expand its neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), which currently accommodates only six newborns, sometimes forcing staff to place two infants in a single incubator.

“There are only six incubators available, and one is not functioning. We require at least 20 incubators to adequately serve our newborns, but first we need to expand or construct a new NICU,” she said.

Velikoshi also called for the establishment of an adult intensive care unit and an expansion of the emergency department, noting that the current space is too small.

The hospital also faces shortages of beds, mattresses and essential medications, including eye, dental and anti-psychotic drugs, as well as equipment in need of repair.

During Namibian Sun's visit to the hospital last week, patients were seen lying on mattresses in corridors due to overcrowding and a shortage of beds, while expectant mothers slept on beds without mattresses.

Promises made

Hamutumwa said local authorities were in talks with the mayor of Helao Nafidi to secure land for staff housing. She added that efforts were under way to upgrade the hospital to intermediate status, which would allow it to offer a wider range of health services.

Asked about a timeline for the improvements, Hamutumwa said plans for the upgrade were not yet in place.

“We aim to elevate the hospital to an intermediate level, as none currently exists in the region. We will need to start engaging with the Ministry of Health and Social Services on this matter,” she said.

Hamutumwa said the regional council was engaging with various partners, including France and Germany, to secure grants or financial support for hospital upgrades.

“I have taken note of the challenges and needs of the hospital, and we will ensure that we continue to assist the government with our partners, especially since the budget is constrained and the government cannot address everything on its own,” she noted.

 Hamutumwa vowed to raise the shortage of essential medications with central government to ensure the hospital received the necessary supplies, saying it was unacceptable for patients to be sent home without medication.