WINDHOEK – The Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Richard Kamwi, has challenged The Namibian newspaper to reveal publicly the source of last week’s misleading report to the effect that as many as 30 children died of hunger between July and September this year.
“I find the story to be misleading, disturbing, scary and devoid of any factual truth. As a Decemberinistry, we are very transparent and as I said earlier, declaration of death has to be pronounced by us,” Kamwi told parliament. Kamwi said he visited the Grootfontein State Hospital and found that the total number of mortalities from July to September at the facility totalled seven, of which 3 were as a result of malnutrition. According to statistics provided by the Grootfontein State Hospital there was only one case of mortality due to malnutrition in July and three in September.
Given this fact Kamwi asked the newspaper that ran the report, as well as the reporter to reveal to the nation the source of the disputed data. “When I read this article, as Minister of Health and Social Services, I became concerned because these deaths have not been reported to my office. I informed Prime Minister, Dr Hage Geingob, that I had to leave for Grootfontein to get to the bottom of the allegations on the loss of lives due to hunger,” remarked Kamwi. The Ministry of Health and Social Services is entrusted with the diagnosis, identification of diseases and finding treatments or cures. If a person is not cured or healed the end result is death, thus a declaration of death is pronounced by the Ministry of Health and Social Services. “Whilst acknowledging the fact that a person may die from starvation, as a minister, I am yet to be informed of a disease called hunger and the resultant deaths. Whilst drought may contribute to food insecurity, one should have a holistic approach to malnutrition,” he said.
Kamwi further said that malnutrition predominantly affects children between the ages of six months to 5 years. “Malnutrition is part of a complex, a bigger picture, for example: insufficient carbohydrates, proteins, fat, in other micro-nutrients, the diet and chronic illness, e.g. diarrhea are some of the major contributory factors to malnutrition”, explained Kamwi. He also cautioned that Namibia has been experiencing a “worrisome increase” in the number of children suffering from malnutrition in recent years. “I was privileged to attend a meeting called by President [Hifikepunye Pohamba] to address the regional governors on the State of Drought in the country that was before he declared drought as an emergency.
I called all Regional Health Directors to inform me on the status of malnutrition in their regions. At the time, most regions were experiencing far less cases of malnutrition compared to the same time last year,” Kamwi said. “Finally, my emphasis is we have not declared any death as a result of drought in Namibia. However, malnutrition is prevalent,” he reiterated.
By Edgar Brandt