By Loide Jason
ONGWEDIVA – Construction of the Olupumbu Health Outreach Centre is expected to start this month, Oshikuku Constituency Councillor, Modestus Amutse, said last week.
Once complete, the outreach centre will cater for nearly 6 000 residents at the settlement.
The development is in response to an outcry for a clinic at Olupumbu, mainly due to its inaccessibility during the rainy season, which often creates difficulties for patients on follow up treatment to access medical services.
“I am still left with the challenge of an access road to Olupumbu outreach centre because our proposed district road, DR 3676, is still to be realised. The region wants to see this road started, so we hope for the best,” stated Amutse.
“I can confidently say I have successfully campaigned for enough money that will enable the community of Olupumbu to construct a modern clinic,” elaborated Amutse.
“I have worked around the clock to ensure I get money for this clinic because I was not pleased with the current structure,” he stated.
“The world is growing and Namibia is growing,” said the Oshikuku constituency councillor.
Amutse said government would continue to improve services and infrastructural development in the Oshikuku constituency of the Omusati Region.
He stressed that the tender for the construction of a class C police station at Oshikuku is being prepared, which will be followed by the actual construction of the station.
A police station at Oshikuku is also due and over N$4 million has already been spent to date in the planning and design phase of the police station.
“Actual construction is now the next phase and I have urged the Ministry of Safety and Security to speed up the process. This development is expected to create employment opportunities for the local people,” said Amutse.
“I have no doubt the Ministry of Safety and Security will face this project head on, as this ministry has already proved itself in other areas where similar projects have been carried out.
“My dream has always been to see the people of Omagalanga accessing the school, clinic and kindergarten without problems during the rainy season. This dream is about to be realised as the main culvert and bush clearing of access roads has now been completed,” he said.
The councillor added that, “I am expecting gravel fillings to follow within the next two weeks and be completed within a month. If everything goes well, the Omagalanga access road will be opened to the public by mid March. This as well will mark the end of inaccessibility to Omagalanga Combined School, kindergarten and clinic during the rain season.”
Lack of funds to compensate people whose mahangu fields are affected by this development delayed the completion of this project, which he feels was to have been completed last year.
Amutse appealed to the business community to support this project, as the contractor still struggles with the loading and transportation of gravel material to the site.
“We need to see business people participating as we have to build our country at all levels,” he said.
Omagalanga is Oshikuku’s second most populated village.
Amutse said another significant development he hopes to see is Unam agreeing to Omusati Regional Council’s proposal to have Ogongo game yard contributing both to academic and economic plans of the region.
He said, as the initiator of a motion to request Unam to allow community tourism activities at Ogongo Game Yard, he still believes an agreement might be struck before the end of this financial year, in which case, preparations of the community would start immediately.
“There is a broader benefit to the region if we implement this proposal because it will eventually create employment for the surrounding community, promote art and craft and will become a focal point for visitors to Omusati and Unam can still continue to do research if need be,” he said.
Since last year, Amutse has been encouraging the youth in the constituency to participate in entrepreneurship and provide services within their own villages to reduce rural-urban migration.
He said many youth groups in the constituency are today owners of small-scale printing shops, hair salons and barber shops, steel manufacturers after being assisted by his office through micro-finance and other motivated resources.