Long queues test patience
Management had to procure additional thermoguns to speed up the screening process at the entrance of the Oshakati State Hospital on Tuesday.
ILENI NANDJATO
OSHAKATI
A shortage of thermoguns resulted in long queues at the Oshakati Intermediate Hospital on Tuesday.
The hospital, which is often in high demand, was crowded with people seeking primary healthcare services.
Hospital management had to procure additional thermoguns to speed up the screening process at the entrance.
Patients are screened for elevated body temperature, a common symptom of the coronavirus.
Additional thermoguns
Hospital superintendent Dr Korbinian Vizcaya Amutenya said it is normal that after a long weekend the hospital experiences a large number of patients.
President Hage Geingob recently lifted the ban on movement as the country downgraded to state two of the lockdown.
“The staff at the hospital were just doing what they do every day, but the number of people were just a lot.
“Before people enter the hospital, they have to undergo a screening and the number of thermoguns was just not enough.
“We went to the police and they gave us the two thermoguns they were using at the Onampira roadblock. After that, the system was fast,” Amutenya said.
He said health ministry executive director Ben Nangombe also responded to their cry and sent four more thermoguns, which were expected to arrive yesterday.
The equipment at the hospital, which caters to patients from all the northern regions and southern Angola, is overused because of the high demand.
According to Amutenya, the hospital has 1 200 employees who cater to 3 000 patients daily.
“There are some primary healthcare activities being rendered at the hospital and three weeks ago, in one day, we had 8 630 people who came to the hospital just to collect their food rations. And this is adding a burden to the hospital, which is a referral hospital.”
Way forward
Amutenya suggested that government create facilities that can handle primary healthcare activities.
“All primary healthcare actives need to go out of the hospital, including antiretroviral therapy (ART) services.
“Some time ago, there was a stigma attached, but now we have created community-based ART services where they can collect their medication, but they opt to come to collect it here, adding pressure to the hospital,” he said.
OSHAKATI
A shortage of thermoguns resulted in long queues at the Oshakati Intermediate Hospital on Tuesday.
The hospital, which is often in high demand, was crowded with people seeking primary healthcare services.
Hospital management had to procure additional thermoguns to speed up the screening process at the entrance.
Patients are screened for elevated body temperature, a common symptom of the coronavirus.
Additional thermoguns
Hospital superintendent Dr Korbinian Vizcaya Amutenya said it is normal that after a long weekend the hospital experiences a large number of patients.
President Hage Geingob recently lifted the ban on movement as the country downgraded to state two of the lockdown.
“The staff at the hospital were just doing what they do every day, but the number of people were just a lot.
“Before people enter the hospital, they have to undergo a screening and the number of thermoguns was just not enough.
“We went to the police and they gave us the two thermoguns they were using at the Onampira roadblock. After that, the system was fast,” Amutenya said.
He said health ministry executive director Ben Nangombe also responded to their cry and sent four more thermoguns, which were expected to arrive yesterday.
The equipment at the hospital, which caters to patients from all the northern regions and southern Angola, is overused because of the high demand.
According to Amutenya, the hospital has 1 200 employees who cater to 3 000 patients daily.
“There are some primary healthcare activities being rendered at the hospital and three weeks ago, in one day, we had 8 630 people who came to the hospital just to collect their food rations. And this is adding a burden to the hospital, which is a referral hospital.”
Way forward
Amutenya suggested that government create facilities that can handle primary healthcare activities.
“All primary healthcare actives need to go out of the hospital, including antiretroviral therapy (ART) services.
“Some time ago, there was a stigma attached, but now we have created community-based ART services where they can collect their medication, but they opt to come to collect it here, adding pressure to the hospital,” he said.
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