Another primary health care facility opened

Minister of Health and Social Services Dr Richard Nchabi Kamwi on June 6 inaugurated yet another health facility, the Border Post Clinic at Kalahari Constituency in Omaheke Region. The recent opening of countless public primary health care facilities is aimed at addressing accessibility of Namibians to quality healthcare services. The Border Post Clinic was previously approved for the isolated community of Blouberg. However, after consultations with the community leaders, the facility was relocated to a central location here at the rapidly growing Buitepos border post, in order to serve other communities such as Vergenoeg. The clinic was built at a cost of cost of N$6.7 million, to reduce the distance travelled by surrounding communities to access health services because of a lack of transport from their residents to the nearest health facility, the Gobabis State Hospital, which is 110 km away. Residents had to depend on occasional well-wishers for transport. They would even use donkey carts or phone the hospital for emergencies. The Kalahari Constituency was characterised by many home deliveries, with poor and undesirable pregnancy outcomes, despite outreach services. There were many missed opportunities to immunise children, as is required. Previously, this community had six outreach points where the Ministry’s outreach team visited monthly. The clinic will now offer: • Comprehensive healthcare services in keeping with the PHC approach; • Ante and postnatal services, which will result in a reduction in home deliveries and an improvement in pregnancy outcomes; • An emergency response to accidents on the Trans-Kalahari Highway, which is a busy road and therefore prone to accidents; • Improved community participation in their own healthcare, • Improved cross-border activities, such as an expanded programme of immunisation, the integrated management of childhood illnesses, the synchronisation of immunisation campaigns and the control of malaria, HIV/Aids, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and TB. Other activities include: • The establishment of cross-border disease surveillance; • The establishment of cross-border management and a response team to address any outbreak or health concern.