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Home / Visually impaired learner needs medical assistance
Visually impaired learner needs medical assistance
2017-09-11Staff Report 2 Obrein Simasiku Oshiya-A learner from Oshiya Combined School in Oshikoto region, suffering from chronic eye disease is appealing for medical assistance, as her vision is worsening by the day with her right eye almost becoming blind. Eighteen-year-old Martha Iyambo, a Grade 7 learner, says her medical situation is worsening day by day, as she now struggles to concentrate in class due to persistent itching of the eyes, which results in tears streaming down. Iyambo says the pain and irritation in the eyes can last for up to an hour when it starts, something she says completely disadvantages her during lessons. According to her grandmother, Josephine Nangula, who has been taking care of Iyambo, her grandchild has been suffering with eye problems for the past 16 years, with little help from public hospitals. “We have taken her to the hospital on several occasions, but the problem doesn’t seem to cease; it only gets better when applying the medication and starts again after some time,” she said. “She is suffering from a lifelong illness and we noticed her eye when she was diagnosed with the disease, ever since then she has been like that,” added Nangula, who pleaded with nation at large to hear her cries and that of her orphaned granddaughter. Iyambo’s teachers requested that her illness should not be disclosed for fear of victimisation from her peers, as none of them know about it. New Era could however not establish what could be the real cause of the illness, as there was no health passport at the time, neither could Nangula remember the details in the passport. Iyambo’s agemates have now matriculated and some have probably enrolled at university, but due to her unfortunate situation she had to repeat several grades as a result of her chronic illness. Her Life Skills teacher, Jonas Kapanga, described Iyambo as an average learner but he believes that if it was not for the virtual impairment she would be a top performer. “We only noticed her problem in recent months. As a school we have tried to help her, but due to limited resources we are unable to solicit enough to provide her with the much-needed medical attention. So, for now as a school we are also appealing to good Samaritans to assist her in this regard, because she is not getting any better,” Kapanga noted. 2017-09-11Staff Report 2
