WINDHOEK – Out-going Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Richard Kamwi, is a happy man and says he has nothing but a good story to tell about his 15 years at the health ministry.
Kamwi, who has spent his entire ministerial career – both as deputy and full minister – at the health ministry, says at independence the country had very few modern facilities such hospitals, health centres and clinics.
“Many facilities, even referral hospitals, such as Oshakati, Onandjokwe, Engela, Eenhana and Rundu were pre-fabricated and/or thatched and traditional structures,” he says, adding that to date most of these facilities have been upgraded to modern and state-of-the-art healthcare institutions.
“A very good example is the new private ward in Oshakati, the cardiac unit at our Central Hospital in the capital and the new Nuclear Medicine Centre in the capital and Oshakati,” he said yesterday, while bidding farewell to his staff.
Kamwi did not make it onto the list of 77 Swapo members going to parliament next month and will therefore not be returning to Cabinet.
Highlighting the successes of his ministry during his tenure, Kamwi says completely new hospitals were built at Engela, Eenhana, Okongo, Karasburg and Omuthiya. “Major renovations took place at all the 35 district hospitals and four intermediate hospitals in Oshakati, Rundu, Katutura and Onandjokwe,” he adds.
The ministry has also built more than 100 new clinics nationwide, Kamwi says. The ministry now operates 45 health care centres and 271 clinics nationwide.
With regards to HIV/AIDS, the ministry introduced a number of dedicated facilities in many intermediate and district hospitals of which 12 were specifically dedicated assisted reproductive technology (ART) clinics, where the ministry sees close to 140 000 ART patients.
The ministry has also managed to construct, upgrade and renovate seven health training centres to provide proper, clean and conducive environment for health training. “We also have newly built regional offices for the vast majority of our 14 regional directorates,” he says.
He says after realising that there was a huge challenge related to the availability of staff accommodation, the ministry decided in 2013 to introduce new rapid to build prefabricated accommodation.
“I am pleased to announce that we have already built more than 20 staff houses at various clinics countrywide during the past year. This is, of course, an important incentive to attract and retain our important health care workers such as our nursing staff in remote and rural areas,” he says.
Kamwi says at independence there was a severe shortage of skilled personnel, among them medical officers, specialists, pharmacists and other related professionals, including enrolled and registered nurses.
“In order to focus, streamline and expedite training, we phased out the cadre assistant nurses and introduced an upgrading course from assistant to enrolled and enrolled nurses to register as nurses,” he says.
He says in that regard, the ministry established six training network centres at Keetmanshoop, Windhoek, Oshakati, Rundu, Katima Mulilo and Otjiwarongo.
Kamwi says most recently the ministry started offering a three-year Diploma in Nursing in Windhoek, Keetmanshoop, and Rundu centres.
He adds that since 2005 the ministry has trained 2 449 enrolled nurses/midwives, 149 pharmacist assistants, 63 environmental health assistants, 22 radiography assistants and 18 medical lab technician assistants.
Furthermore, Kamwi says he will be remembered for bringing the idea of introducing the School of Medicine and School of Pharmacy. “I was the one who brought up the idea of having the School of Medicine and School of Pharmacy,” he says.
Kamwi goes on to say that after spending his entire working life at the ministry, he is now left with time to spend with his family. “The only thing I regret now is ignoring my family,” he says while stroking his eldest daughter on the head.
He was appointed as deputy health minister by then president Sam Nujoma in 2000. President Hifikepunye Pohamba appointed him as full minister in 2005 to replace Dr Libertina Amathila, who was elevated to the position of deputy Prime Minister that year.