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Home / Katutura treats over 30 000 patients in 3 months
Katutura treats over 30 000 patients in 3 months
2018-08-01Staff Report 2 Alvine Kapitako WINDHOEK - The Katutura Intermediate Hospital attended to 31 251 patients in the last three months, according to medical superintendent, Dr Fady Ashmawy. The hospital received one patient every 5.5 minutes and the casualty department received one patient every four minutes during that period. Ashmawy said at a media conference on Monday that he cannot deny that the hospital receives a large number of patients but all patients are attended to professionally and according to guidelines. “Perfection is for God. We can’t be perfect…” said Ashmawy, adding that despite the huge burden on the hospital, they are doing their best to deliver good service to all patients. He made the remarks in light of a recent complaint regarding poor service delivery at the State hospital. The complaint issued to the media was by Rebecca Kamanda, whose mother received substandard services at the hospital. Kamanda has claimed that her mother, aged 48-years, went to the X-ray division immediately after arriving at the hospital, but spent seven hours without any nurse, doctor or matron tending to her, where she was left to wallow in her vomit, excruciating pain and hunger. “It is disappointing to know that this is the service we are getting. I know we are poor but we do need better medical assistance. We get poor healthcare. Why should we be treated as if we are nothing? Does being poor somehow diminish the fact that we too are human beings? Why should we sit in cold waiting rooms for hours?” reads part of the letter Kamanda wrote and which was published on July 20, in the New Era. However, Ashmawy countered this, saying it is not possible for a patient to wait up to seven to ten hours without being attended to. “Her mom was taken to radiology department immediately. Her vital signs were taken immediately,” said Ashmawy. Ashmawy explained further that patients at casualty department are attended to, however, priority is given to emergencies such as trauma as well as senior citizens, pregnant women and people with disabilities. He added that some people do not understand that priority is given to emergencies and they complain when they see emergency cases being attended to. Regarding the lack of medication, especially chronic medication, Ashmawy responded that where there is a shortage, the problem is attended to “very fast”. Ashmawy also explained that certain medicines cannot be bought in big numbers just to be stored and expire on the shelves. This means that some medication is bought based on the need. 2018-08-01Staff Report 2
