OUTAPI – The governor of the Omusati Region Sophia Shaningwa has asked national health authorities to step up efforts to make sure the hospital is clean and patient-friendly.
She was speaking at the opening of the first official meeting of the Omusati Regional Council last week Friday, where she expressed disappointment over service delivery in the region over the past year, and more specifically over the poor sanitary conditions in the Outapi District Hospital, which she described as filthy and smelly. According to Shaningwa the untenable state of health facilities such as the Outapi District Hospital and the Okahao State Hospital should be a source of great concern for the government.
“Our hospitals are very dirty and smelly, this is not healthy for the lives of our people, because a hospital should be a shelter for those who are sick and the situation is rather [compromising] the health of patients. Our patients end up leaving the hospitals sicker than when they came in. The Outapi District Hospital should be looked at. There is money in the budget to rehabilitate the hospital. I understand that feasibility studies were done in this regard, but I do not understand why work has not started yet,” Shaningwa said. “We cannot let our people go to stinky hospitals, I understand this hospital was built during the colonial times but we are an independent country now.
We should improve and rehabilitate our hospital facilities so that we can create a healthy and conducive environment for our sick people,” added Shaningwa. She also said there are people in the region who are out to sabotage efforts by the government to make living more meaningful for people. “People are paid to render services, but they turn around and behave as though the offices they were entrusted with to provide services are their homes. We really should change our attitudes and improve,” she added.
By Kakunawe Shinana