Rundu-born Dr Vincent Kambinda recently opened his private clinic in Rundu, the MedRundu Health Centre, to serve his community.
Kambinda said this would enable him to practice medicine and help his community to the best of his ability.
MedRundu Health Centre is located in Rundu’s Nkarapamwe location, opposite Dr Romanus Kampungu Secondary School sports field, a walking distance from the central business district.
The facility aims to decongest health facilities at the river town, where there are few private medical facilities. His is the first owned by a native of the region.
The 31-year-old struggled to get financial support to establish his clinic and bought equipment with his own money.
However, the Development Bank of Namibia, through its Young Professions Programme, came through and refunded some of his money spent on equipment.
“I’m grateful for the support. It came at the right time when I needed it the most. This (DBN) programme is what the youth needs,” said Kambinda.
The youthful doctor started his career in medicine in September 2013 as an intern at the Central and Katutura hospitals in Windhoek.
After wrapping up his internship in 2015, he got a job as a medical doctor at the Rundu Intermediate Hospital, where he worked for two years before joining the Rundu Private Hospital, where he worked until last Wednesday.
Initially, the young doctor planned to take time off before opening his practice, but the current Covid-19 situation inspired him to open earlier than premeditated, as many people are flocking to hospitals daily to get their health checked.
“What’s important is that I’m the only local medical doctor in the private sector in town who is fluent in all Kavango languages, so the language barrier is broken. Apart from English, my patients can communicate in their language, and I will assist them.”
Kambinda is a product of a government scholarship. Fresh from high school in 2007, he got a government scholarship to study medicine in Cuba, and he graduated in 2013.
“I am giving back to my Namibian community by providing professional medical care as well as creating employment. After all, that is why I was sent to study to improve our country. At the moment, I have five staff members but as the need arises, I will expand the staff compliment.”
Kambinda urged Namibian youths to take up opportunities and take risks to start businesses in different professions, and they must not fear they would fail.
“I turned my house into a clinic to serve my community. I sacrificed all I had – and at some point of the struggle, I sold my cars and used public transport just to get money to develop this clinic.
“To my fellow youths, love what you do and learn to work hard. Personally, I achieved this through hard work and the support of my family, especially my parents. Professionally, I learned from people I met through my career, especially my previous employer, who made it easy for me to get to where I am today,” he noted.