OSHAKATI – The health ministry has recruited 40 doctors, 31 registered nurses and 54 enrolled nurses for the Oshakati Intermediate Hospital in the Oshana region during the current financial year.
This was revealed by the medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr Ruben Kanime, in an exclusive interview with New Era this week.
He said most of the doctors reported for duty this week, while the rest are expected next month.
“In the next financial year, we will fill the remaining 20 positions. These are all local doctors; some were trained at our hospital,” he added.
The hospital had been experiencing a shortage of doctors, and after consultations with the ministry, an agreement was reached to boost the staff by 60 medical officers.
The Oshakati Intermediate Hospital was built in 1966. Its bed capacity stands at 950, and over the years, there have been changes in many of the variables that influence the demand for services at the hospital.
The hospital is the second-biggest State health institution in the country after the Windhoek Central Hospital.
Demographic changes include a catchment population of close to a million, changes in disease burdens and patterns, and changes in health-seeking behaviours.
Equally, there has been a steady expansion of services offered at the hospital, especially with the creation of specialised units such as the renal dialysis unit, nuclear medicine, oncology, ophthalmology, dermatology and sub-specialities of general surgery.
Kanime said the additional doctors are adequate to offer quality services and training at the institution.
“Success number one is the improved medical workforce, with the injection of new doctors. It was a thorn in the flesh, and everyone can now work humanly,” he said.
He noted that this financial year, they had opened a state-of-the-art 12-bed renal dialysis unit, bringing the total bed capacity to 15.
“This is a great achievement, because all our patients with kidney failure used to get this highly-specialised service in the private sector, and we can confidently say this is a historically costly memory.”
He added that the Covid-19 pandemic had taught many about the importance of intensive care units in the public healthcare framework.
“Currently, we only have six ICU beds, and most of the time, they are full. This is one area where we are still spending a substantive chunk of our budget in the private sector. However, construction of state-of-the-art ICUs is at an advanced stage. This is phase one of what will be known as operational theatres, the central sterile supply or services department, and intensive care unit complex,” he added.
Construction work is also ongoing to renovate the eye patients’ ward.
“Together with an international charity organisation, the Essilor Luxottica Foundation, we have established a vision centre to assist the neediest with glasses and poor vision correction, the same services offered by optical shops in the private sector. This unit will officially be opened next month,” he said.
Kanime stated that in the last financial year, they upgraded and refurbished the senior citizens’ pharmacy, and boosted their equipment fleet.
“We installed a modern Computed Tomography Scan Machine (CT scan), which brought our radiological capacity to a new level, as it has more functions than the old machine. We also acquired, in the previous financial year, a digital ceiling X-ray machine and a much-needed mammography machine, which is very crucial in detecting breast cancer.”
The dental department also has new chairs.
“We replaced the three old renal dialysis machines with new ones through a donation by Debmarine Namibia.”
Meanwhile, Kanime observed that the key challenge for the hospital was now the persistent shortage of clinical and pharmaceutical supplies. This is a countrywide challenge influenced by external factors, supplier issues, budget constraints, financial thresholds and global supply chain disruptions.
“The ministry is working tirelessly to resolve the situation and has introduced various measures, such as obtaining exemptions from the Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises, direct procurements through market scans for suppliers with stock on hand, the utilisation of pooled procurement mechanisms, and bilateral cooperation with other countries for joint procurements.”
Kanime expressed hope the challenges will be resolved soon.
“The Oshakati Intermediate Hospital is committed to advancing Namibia’s pursuance for universal health coverage, and becoming a centre of excellence for specialised services,” he said.
-fhamalwa@nepc.com.na