Haufiku denies Ondangwa utterances
Health minister Bernard Haufiku has denied saying Ondangwa was not ideal for the construction of a new referral hospital in the north.
Haufiku recently drew ire over an article which appeared in Namibian Sun in which he was quoted as saying he was not convinced Ondangwa was the ideal location for a referral hospital.
While no decision has been made regarding the construction of the hospital, Haufiku did not definitively rule out the possibility of constructing the hospital in one of the northern towns over Ondangwa, and instead said further studies would have to be carried out related to choosing an ideal location for the hospital.
Haufiku has in the past two weeks voiced his opposition towards Ondangwa as a preferred host town for the hospital.
Recently he was quoted as saying that the location of the hospital should favour the northern people. “I do not want people to die because they had to be referred to Windhoek for medical treatment. We are looking at the bigger picture of health. We are talking about a big project here, to say the hospital must be built in Ondangwa. What is this Ondangwa speciality? I need to hear it,” Haufiku said during a meeting with the Ondangwa Town Council leadership at State House recently.
“We are losing sight that we want to serve the regions. I want to reduce the risk. People must not die because they do not receive treatment. I am not going to deviate from my scientific responsibility. If someone takes a political decision, I will not take the responsibility,” said Haufiku.
OGONE TLHAGE
Haufiku recently drew ire over an article which appeared in Namibian Sun in which he was quoted as saying he was not convinced Ondangwa was the ideal location for a referral hospital.
While no decision has been made regarding the construction of the hospital, Haufiku did not definitively rule out the possibility of constructing the hospital in one of the northern towns over Ondangwa, and instead said further studies would have to be carried out related to choosing an ideal location for the hospital.
Haufiku has in the past two weeks voiced his opposition towards Ondangwa as a preferred host town for the hospital.
Recently he was quoted as saying that the location of the hospital should favour the northern people. “I do not want people to die because they had to be referred to Windhoek for medical treatment. We are looking at the bigger picture of health. We are talking about a big project here, to say the hospital must be built in Ondangwa. What is this Ondangwa speciality? I need to hear it,” Haufiku said during a meeting with the Ondangwa Town Council leadership at State House recently.
“We are losing sight that we want to serve the regions. I want to reduce the risk. People must not die because they do not receive treatment. I am not going to deviate from my scientific responsibility. If someone takes a political decision, I will not take the responsibility,” said Haufiku.
OGONE TLHAGE
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