Hunger: Mothers at Rundu hospital survive on sick children's leftovers
Mothers and caregivers staying at Rundu Intermediate Hospital’s general ward to look after their sick children say they are going hungry for days, warning that someone could starve to death if the situation persists.
Namibian Sun has established that these caregivers have been left without food for months, relying solely on leftovers from their children's hospital meals - if there are any.
A 21-year-old mother from the Zambezi Region, whose child has been admitted since December, described the ordeal as “cruel” and “inhumane.”
“I haven’t had a proper meal in three days. We only eat if there are leftovers from the children’s meals, but even those aren’t enough for the children themselves. If I don’t get help from a friend’s family, I go hungry. I’ve been here since December, and I don’t even know when my son will be discharged. A person can honestly die from this type of hunger,” she told Namibian Sun on Monday.
No food for caregivers
According to hospital insiders, patients receive three meals a day - breakfast between 08:00 and 09:00, lunch between 12:00 and 13:00, and dinner at 16:30. However, caregivers are not provided with any food, leaving them with no choice but to go hungry.
“When a child is hospitalised, especially if they are young or disabled, they cannot stay alone. A parent or caregiver must be with them. But while the child receives food, the caregiver does not,” one source said.
Many caregivers travel from remote areas like Katima Mulilo and Andara with no family or support in Rundu, leaving them completely dependent on hospital conditions.
“Some mothers have no visitors for weeks, meaning they have no food at all. How can they survive like this?” another insider questioned.
A mother whose four-year-old son is hospitalised said even the food given to the children is not enough, yet she is forced to share it with her son just to have something to eat.
“What little my child gets, I have to share with him. But the food isn’t even enough for him alone. We are suffering.”
Authorities silent
When contacted for comment, hospital medical superintendent Theresia Shivera declined to respond, saying she needed time to look into the matter.
Meanwhile, the ministry of health's executive director, Ben Nangombe, said he was unaware of the issue.
“I have to look into it because the matter was not reported to me,” he said.
Namibian Sun has established that these caregivers have been left without food for months, relying solely on leftovers from their children's hospital meals - if there are any.
A 21-year-old mother from the Zambezi Region, whose child has been admitted since December, described the ordeal as “cruel” and “inhumane.”
“I haven’t had a proper meal in three days. We only eat if there are leftovers from the children’s meals, but even those aren’t enough for the children themselves. If I don’t get help from a friend’s family, I go hungry. I’ve been here since December, and I don’t even know when my son will be discharged. A person can honestly die from this type of hunger,” she told Namibian Sun on Monday.
No food for caregivers
According to hospital insiders, patients receive three meals a day - breakfast between 08:00 and 09:00, lunch between 12:00 and 13:00, and dinner at 16:30. However, caregivers are not provided with any food, leaving them with no choice but to go hungry.
“When a child is hospitalised, especially if they are young or disabled, they cannot stay alone. A parent or caregiver must be with them. But while the child receives food, the caregiver does not,” one source said.
Many caregivers travel from remote areas like Katima Mulilo and Andara with no family or support in Rundu, leaving them completely dependent on hospital conditions.
“Some mothers have no visitors for weeks, meaning they have no food at all. How can they survive like this?” another insider questioned.
A mother whose four-year-old son is hospitalised said even the food given to the children is not enough, yet she is forced to share it with her son just to have something to eat.
“What little my child gets, I have to share with him. But the food isn’t even enough for him alone. We are suffering.”
Authorities silent
When contacted for comment, hospital medical superintendent Theresia Shivera declined to respond, saying she needed time to look into the matter.
Meanwhile, the ministry of health's executive director, Ben Nangombe, said he was unaware of the issue.
“I have to look into it because the matter was not reported to me,” he said.
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