Nancy Muniaro

Residents of Farm Julianne, situated in the Grootfontein constituency, were overjoyed after the health ministry on Tuesday allocated a vehicle to the farm and the surrounding areas. 

The vehicle will assist the community in transporting sick patients to the nearest health centres and for outreach programmes.

This came after the members of the community wrote a letter to the then executive director of health, Ben Nangombe, requesting the ministry to assist them with a vehicle that they could use for health outreach services as well as to respond to emergency cases.

The farm is situated about 77 kilometres northeast of Grootfontein, and the distance makes it difficult for the people residing at the farm and the surrounding areas to travel to Grootfontein for healthcare services.

Otjozondjupa regional health director, Gebhardo Timotheus, during the handover of a Nissan bakkie, said in a letter written by the health committee of the farm, headed by Willem Haramseb, that four death cases of children under the age of five were reported. 

In the said incidents, two died at home while waiting to be transported to Grootfontein to the hospital, while the other one was a neonatal death.

Furthermore, during the same period, 45 cases of missed opportunities were recorded. 

“These are children who have missed out on their immunisation because outreach services were not conducted due to the lack of transport,” said Thimotheus.

The community indicated that by the time they wrote this letter, four deaths of children under five had been reported in the community. Two died at home while waiting to be transported to Grootfontein Hospital, and the other one was a neonatal death.

He added that although the vehicle is not brand new and not an ambulance, he believes that it will bring a positive health impact to the community, preventing loss of life and improving the health outcome of the community and the surrounding farms.

A community health worker at the farm, Petrus Haramse, told the MICT team they applaud the ministry for responding to their request. “We just want to say thank you for this vehicle that we have received. I believe that many of our community health problems will improve through transportation,” said Haramse.

Meanwhile, an elder at the farm, Theophehus Uahongora, expressed appreciation to the government through the Ministry of Health and Social Services on behalf of the community.

“This will bring a positive health impact to the community, prevent loss of lives, and improve health outcomes,” he said.

– Nancy Muniaro is an Information Officer at MICT Otjozondjupa.