Oshakati hospital running on empty
As the biggest referral hospital to district hospitals in five regions – including patients from Angola – the availability of resources are precarious.
Medical practitioners at the Oshakati Intermediary Hospital say they fear the lives of patients could be put at risk due to collapsing, untenable conditions prevailing at the hospital.
During late September, the hospital experienced some days during which water supply was cut off without warning reportedly for infrastructure repair or upgrades.
This was then confirmed by the hospital's superintendent, Dr Korbinian Vizkaya Amutenya, who said the hospital would usually have been given notification of any supply interruptions.
During that month the medical practitioners preferring anonymity said bedding was not sterilised and many patients had to sleep on uncovered mattresses, often in corridors due to a shortage of beds.
Incomprehensibly too, they said, they were forced to use the more expensive surgical gloves for any and all contact with patients because the cheaper non-surgical gloves were simply not available.
“We are being told that there is no money available but then we are forced to use the most expensive gloves on the most mundane of tasks,” one source said, adding: “We simply do not know what is going on.”
The management team at the hospital acknowledged that there are problems in the supply of materials from the Central Medical Store, which it described as “erratic”, saying delays of delivery and unavailability from the store was often experienced due to “some logistical problems”, which “may affect the operations of the hospital in one way or another”.
The management team said the hospital has reported that it had run out of non-sterile gloves on 23 September and the following day the regional store and clinical supply managed to get gloves from other facilities while it waited to be restocked by the store.
“For now the glove situation is solved and the entire hospital has non-sterile gloves. Of course, not the amount we are comfortable with for now,” the management team said.
It said staff was forced to use sterile gloves in the meantime to avoid cross infections from patients.
New ward unused
Another claim was that the hospital is boasting with a brand new theatre in the maternity ward but that this has never been used due to construction problems.
The Oshakati Intermediate Hospital is also used for emergency operations by other district hospitals in the Oshana, Kunene, Omusati, Ohangwena and Oshikoto regions as well as the southern part of Angola. This places an enormous pressure on the resources of the hospital.
However, information received from the sources is that because the labour theatre is not in use, the other available theatre is being used for Caesarean sections and other emergency cases, which allegedly causes a bottleneck and delays of numerous other operations that should have been done in the operational theatre. The sources claimed this might even put lives in danger.
The Oshakati management team said the two brand new theatres in the maternity ward are not yet completed. It said the construction company, Stauch and Partners Consultants, have reported that it is 95% complete; the remaining 5% include the installation of medical items and equipment.
Angolan patients
Medical staff at the Oshakati hospital also observed that a large number of patients using the State facility are from Angola.
Some estimated the number of Angolan patients to be as much as around 50% at any given time who pay the same nominal fees that Namibian state patients do. In one instance, someone commented, an Angolan national paid N$30 for a month in the intensive care unit (ICU).
According to the medical staff, this further places resources under severe pressure.
The Oshakati management team said it would be an exaggeration to say that 50% of patients are Angolan nationals.
It said on 25 October out of the 812 patients the following were foreigners: two Zimbabweans; one South African; one Malawian; 82 Angolans.
On 25 October of the six patients in the ICU, two were foreigners (one Zimbabwean; one Angolan).
The management team admitted that all patients – Namibians and foreigners – pay the same rate “without fear or favour”.
Catherine Sasman
Catherine Sasman
During late September, the hospital experienced some days during which water supply was cut off without warning reportedly for infrastructure repair or upgrades.
This was then confirmed by the hospital's superintendent, Dr Korbinian Vizkaya Amutenya, who said the hospital would usually have been given notification of any supply interruptions.
During that month the medical practitioners preferring anonymity said bedding was not sterilised and many patients had to sleep on uncovered mattresses, often in corridors due to a shortage of beds.
Incomprehensibly too, they said, they were forced to use the more expensive surgical gloves for any and all contact with patients because the cheaper non-surgical gloves were simply not available.
“We are being told that there is no money available but then we are forced to use the most expensive gloves on the most mundane of tasks,” one source said, adding: “We simply do not know what is going on.”
The management team at the hospital acknowledged that there are problems in the supply of materials from the Central Medical Store, which it described as “erratic”, saying delays of delivery and unavailability from the store was often experienced due to “some logistical problems”, which “may affect the operations of the hospital in one way or another”.
The management team said the hospital has reported that it had run out of non-sterile gloves on 23 September and the following day the regional store and clinical supply managed to get gloves from other facilities while it waited to be restocked by the store.
“For now the glove situation is solved and the entire hospital has non-sterile gloves. Of course, not the amount we are comfortable with for now,” the management team said.
It said staff was forced to use sterile gloves in the meantime to avoid cross infections from patients.
New ward unused
Another claim was that the hospital is boasting with a brand new theatre in the maternity ward but that this has never been used due to construction problems.
The Oshakati Intermediate Hospital is also used for emergency operations by other district hospitals in the Oshana, Kunene, Omusati, Ohangwena and Oshikoto regions as well as the southern part of Angola. This places an enormous pressure on the resources of the hospital.
However, information received from the sources is that because the labour theatre is not in use, the other available theatre is being used for Caesarean sections and other emergency cases, which allegedly causes a bottleneck and delays of numerous other operations that should have been done in the operational theatre. The sources claimed this might even put lives in danger.
The Oshakati management team said the two brand new theatres in the maternity ward are not yet completed. It said the construction company, Stauch and Partners Consultants, have reported that it is 95% complete; the remaining 5% include the installation of medical items and equipment.
Angolan patients
Medical staff at the Oshakati hospital also observed that a large number of patients using the State facility are from Angola.
Some estimated the number of Angolan patients to be as much as around 50% at any given time who pay the same nominal fees that Namibian state patients do. In one instance, someone commented, an Angolan national paid N$30 for a month in the intensive care unit (ICU).
According to the medical staff, this further places resources under severe pressure.
The Oshakati management team said it would be an exaggeration to say that 50% of patients are Angolan nationals.
It said on 25 October out of the 812 patients the following were foreigners: two Zimbabweans; one South African; one Malawian; 82 Angolans.
On 25 October of the six patients in the ICU, two were foreigners (one Zimbabwean; one Angolan).
The management team admitted that all patients – Namibians and foreigners – pay the same rate “without fear or favour”.
Catherine Sasman
Catherine Sasman
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