Charmaine Boois
The Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA), in collaboration with the health ministry and the Mariental Municipality, activated the Mariental Emergency and Medical Regional Response Centre on Wednesday to offer rapid responses to medical emergencies and automobile accidents in the Hardap and //Kharas regions.
This centre will strengthen emergency response in the two southern regions, located on the B1 route, to ensure those injured in motor vehicle crashes are provided with the required emergency medical care within the golden hour.
The centre is expected to operate from the Mariental Fire Department and will not only respond to motor vehicle crash emergencies, but also provide medical day-to-day services to the community.
The MVA said this is in response to their Pillar Five of the Decade of Action Plan, which aims to increase responsiveness to post-crash emergencies and improve the ability of health and other systems to provide appropriate emergency treatment.
Speaking during the event, Mariental mayor Cherien Kock underlined the emergency medical rescue response centre’s primary goal, which is to offer a continuous 24-hour response to all residents of the two regions.
“As a municipality, we are ready to give a 24-hour uninterrupted response to all members of the Mariental community. The safety and well-being of our citizens and visitors are one of our top objectives,” she stated.
Natalia Goagoses, the deputy minister of urban and rural development, officiated at the ceremony and said the new medical rescue response centre should ensure that priority cases receive attention, and that it makes Mariental and the entire Hardap region a safer and better place.
Also speaking at the event, Doctor Berit Platt narrated how beneficial the rescue response centre will be to the citizens of the town and region.
“In the past, folks complained about how difficult it was to call out for help in response to accidents and fires to get an immediate response – but now we, the Ministry of Health and Social Services, are a full team holding hands with the Mariental municipality and Nampol to work together to respond to any emergency quicker.”
- Additional reporting by Nampa