Berseba - Berseba constituency councillor Jeremias Goeieman expressed concern that the clinic in the village has to serve more than 3 000 citizens with only two nurses at its disposal.

He said this during the official handing-over of five oxygen machines to the health facility last weekend.  “I am pleading with the regional leadership of the Ministry of Health and Social Services to look into this issue of providing improved health services to our community,” he emphasised.

Goeieman also asked the ministry to administer the mobile public healthcare clinics from the village, as was the case in the past. 

“Our people from surrounding areas have to travel to the nearest health facility, namely Berseba clinic, which contradicts the government’s statement that the provision of
 health services is a basic human right, whilst health workers could rather visit these areas more regularly through outreach programmes, saving our impoverished citizens transport costs,” the politician asserted.

Furthermore, the attitude of some health workers at the clinic leaves much to be desired. 

“Nursing is a calling, instead of a profession. But many of these professional registered nurse graduates seem to neglect their oath, which is quite worrisome,” the regional councillor slammed. 

He thus urged health workers in his constituency to think back about their pledge, in the process
reconsider their calling for community service provision.

During the donation of the five oxygen-providing machines, worth approximately N$100 000,
he reasoned that oxygen is critical when saving lives. 

“We have learned a valuable lesson with the previous, devastating wave of the coronavirus that the unavailability of adequate oxygen makes us lose many of our beloved family members,” he noted sadly. The community is, therefore, greatly indebted to Gratomic Graphite for coming on board and donating these life-saving devices. “You should thus take good care of the equipment, and use it properly and wisely,” he urged.

In his remarks, /Hai /Haua Traditional Authority deputy kaptein Stephanus Goliath commended the donors. He then called on other mining giants operating in the //Kharas region to emulate Gratomics’ noble deed of answering their corporate social responsibility function and invest in the region towards the betterment of the livelihood of its residents. 

“Me and my spouse also suffered from Covid-19 previously, but were fortunate to survive. Hence my belief that oxygen machines are life-saving devices,” he observed.

Gratomic Graphite’s spokesperson Modestus Ashipala said the donation should be seen as an investment striving to save lives as opposed to a donation. 

“We also want to thank all frontline health workers who took the risk of losing their lives for our sake during the coronavirus,” he added. Pensioner Edith Motinga also commended the mining company for their superb deed.  “We lost many of our family members due to Covid-19 as a result of not having access to oxygen. But we are now assured that if anybody needs it for even other health conditions, it will be available,” she remarked.