Clinic shuts for nurse's maternity leave

Quote:
Monica Nghiyonanye
Clinic cleaner
We don't know when government will send us another nurse

OTJIMUHAKA MERJA IILEKA

A clinic in a remote district of the Kunene Region that caters to 38 nearby villages has been forced to temporary close its doors after the only registered nurse went on maternity leave over the weekend.
The clinic at Otjimuhaka, a sparsely populated area in the poverty-stricken region that is situated a mere stone throw from the Angolan border, is said to cater to communities in 31 villages in the Kunene Region, as well as seven other villages in the southern parts of Angola.
Since the only nurse working at the clinic went on maternity leave on Saturday, patients visiting the facility for treatment are being referred to the nearest clinic - about 64km away. The other alternative is the Opuwo District Hospital, some 138km away.
Due to the long distances and lack of public transport in the area, however, many of the patients end up returning to their respective homes without treatment - facing the prospect their symptoms worsening.
A United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) report suggests that because of distance, people visiting the Otjimuhaka clinic have to travel up to three days to reach the facility, either on foot or by donkey.
Those that come from Angola take longer, as they have to cross the Kunene River that cuts through one side of the catchment area.
The same report also states that region faces major challenges such as a human resource shortage, high staff turnover and lack of communication at some health facilities.
The mobile nature of the population, environmental hardships, poor infrastructure and cultural barriers, as well as a lack of health service access also impacted negatively on the medical treatment.
"The health facilities are understaffed. They have a maximum of one to two health professionals in each health centre or clinic. Distances between health facilities in the district remain a big challenge for provision of basic health services," the reports states
A cleaner at the clinic, Monica Nghiyonanye, says a large volume of patients walk through the facility's gate on a daily basis, especially from Angola. They are also screened for cholera following the outbreak of the highly-infectious disease in the neighbouring country.
"We don't know when government will send us another nurse, so for now we will continue referring them to the nearest clinic about 70km away" explained Nghiyonanye.
Findiriku Muundjua, who Namibian Sun found locked outside the medical facility, claims he went to the clinic to receive medication for high blood pressure, but will now return home empty-handed.
"The only thing for me to do now is go back home and return when they get another nurse, unless of course I'm able to get transport money to travel to Opuwo for my treatment," said Muundjua.
Sunday Ipinge, a Health Extension Worker (HEW) deployed at Otjimuhaka to help bridge the gap between the health facility and the community at large, said that they have been advised to call for an ambulance from the nearest clinic in very serious cases.
"Malaria is very common here, because we live near the Kunene River. There are no mosquito nets in the clinic, so even pregnant women become victims," Ipinge said.
According to Ipinge, it was also common practice in his constituency for pregnant women to deliver their babies at home - with the assistance of a skilled provider - thereby lessening traffic to the clinic.
"There are people in the community who have been trained to assist in delivering babies, although we encourage them to rather bring pregnant women to the nearest clinic for delivery," said Ipinge.