Onandjokwe out of crutches
Hospital turns patients away
While the hospital has limited stock available at the moment, it is expecting a consignment tomorrow, the health director said.
Onandjokwe Intermediate Hospital has been turning away patients with leg injuries due to a shortage of crutches at the facility.
This was confirmed by the Oshikoto health director Josua Nghipangelwa, who could not say how long the hospital has been sending patients home without proper medical care.
Nghipangelwa said the hospital is expecting a consignment tomorrow, 3 July, adding that while Onandjokwe was heavily affected by the shortage, Omuthiya hospital has stock. “So, it’s not the entire region that is suffering,” he said.
“The problem of stock sometimes is caused by supply and demand. Sometimes there is a period of high demand for crutches and other times not. Some patients find stock, but it is not their size. Like now, we have limited sizes in stock, so unfortunately we have to turn patients away,” he said.
Nghipangelwa added that sometimes the shortages are a result of contractors taking each other to court. While they wait for the outcome of the court ruling, “the people suffer the consequences of these conflicts”, he said.
This was confirmed by the Oshikoto health director Josua Nghipangelwa, who could not say how long the hospital has been sending patients home without proper medical care.
Nghipangelwa said the hospital is expecting a consignment tomorrow, 3 July, adding that while Onandjokwe was heavily affected by the shortage, Omuthiya hospital has stock. “So, it’s not the entire region that is suffering,” he said.
“The problem of stock sometimes is caused by supply and demand. Sometimes there is a period of high demand for crutches and other times not. Some patients find stock, but it is not their size. Like now, we have limited sizes in stock, so unfortunately we have to turn patients away,” he said.
Nghipangelwa added that sometimes the shortages are a result of contractors taking each other to court. While they wait for the outcome of the court ruling, “the people suffer the consequences of these conflicts”, he said.
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