Nurses threaten to abandon Queen Sofia clinic
Nurses stationed at the Thomas Adam Sheya Clinic on the Queen Sofia government resettlement farm have threatened to abandon the clinic due to the water crisis there.
The clinic is situated approximately 75 kilometres east of Outjo in the Kunene Region.
The two nurses, Niita Joseph and Monalise Kapi this week told Nampa the situation has become unbearable.
Joseph, the nurse in charge, said the clinic has had no water since 18 October this year. “The clinic is filthy, toilets smell, our uniforms are dirty and we touch sick people without washing our hands. It is not supposed to be like that, and we are risking our health,” she said.
Joseph said the management of the health directorate at Outjo and Opuwo have both been informed repeatedly about the situation.
The clinic pumps water from a community borehole.
Joseph said they have, however, been unable to load electricity units on the token they use for the pump to start running to pump water into the clinic's tank. Kapi said the clinic is new and was officially inaugurated in April this year by deputy health minister Juliet Kavetuna on behalf of health minister, Bernard Haufiku.
She said the clinic and two houses for the nurses were constructed at a cost of over N$13 million.
“We will wait for this week to see what they have for us. I would rather go back home than to be here in the bush with no water,” she said.
The chief administrative officer for the Outjo district, Magdalena Losper on Wednesday told Nampa she knows about the problem, but does not discuss health matters with the media. Dr Alice Kabongo, the acting senior medical officer who visited the clinic on Tuesday, on Wednesday referred this journalist to the Kunene regional health director, Thomas Shapumba for all questions related to hospitals in her area of jurisdiction. Shapumba on his part said he was never informed of the water crisis at the Thomas Adam Sheya Clinic and promised to find out from Kabongo.
Nampa on Wednesday visited the clinic at Queen Sofia and found patients and nurses using the bush when nature calls. The toilets were filthy.
NAMPA
The clinic is situated approximately 75 kilometres east of Outjo in the Kunene Region.
The two nurses, Niita Joseph and Monalise Kapi this week told Nampa the situation has become unbearable.
Joseph, the nurse in charge, said the clinic has had no water since 18 October this year. “The clinic is filthy, toilets smell, our uniforms are dirty and we touch sick people without washing our hands. It is not supposed to be like that, and we are risking our health,” she said.
Joseph said the management of the health directorate at Outjo and Opuwo have both been informed repeatedly about the situation.
The clinic pumps water from a community borehole.
Joseph said they have, however, been unable to load electricity units on the token they use for the pump to start running to pump water into the clinic's tank. Kapi said the clinic is new and was officially inaugurated in April this year by deputy health minister Juliet Kavetuna on behalf of health minister, Bernard Haufiku.
She said the clinic and two houses for the nurses were constructed at a cost of over N$13 million.
“We will wait for this week to see what they have for us. I would rather go back home than to be here in the bush with no water,” she said.
The chief administrative officer for the Outjo district, Magdalena Losper on Wednesday told Nampa she knows about the problem, but does not discuss health matters with the media. Dr Alice Kabongo, the acting senior medical officer who visited the clinic on Tuesday, on Wednesday referred this journalist to the Kunene regional health director, Thomas Shapumba for all questions related to hospitals in her area of jurisdiction. Shapumba on his part said he was never informed of the water crisis at the Thomas Adam Sheya Clinic and promised to find out from Kabongo.
Nampa on Wednesday visited the clinic at Queen Sofia and found patients and nurses using the bush when nature calls. The toilets were filthy.
NAMPA
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