Kavango West leaders call for fully fledged health facilities

Community leaders at Mururani village in the Mankumpi constituency of the Kavango West region have called for a fully-fledged health centre, saying an abandoned container serving as a mobile clinic has left residents stranded without healthcare.

Community representative Eunike Sem says the mobile clinic has been idle for six years, serving mainly as a stand for occasional outreach.

She says expectant women, children, prisoners, farmers and the elderly have to be rushed to the Katjinakatji or Mangetti clinics, where they are – in most cases – then rushed to Rundu.

“Sometimes, only the police can help them get to the nearest clinic. If there is no car, mothers and elders wait, and by the time they find a ride, it’s late.

“Residents must find money to pay for a ride to Katjinakatji or Mangetti. If they don’t have it, they borrow or wait for someone going that way,” she says.

Mururani village headman Namufinda Sikongo says long distances and transport costs are pushing people to delay seeking healthcare.

“People are suffering because help is far. We need nurses based here, not only outreach that comes and goes,” he says.

Sikongo suggests that Mururani should serve as a health hub for surrounding settlements, saying it will ease the pressure on Katjinakatji, Mangetti, and Mpora.

Mankumpi constituency councillor Lukas Muha says talks with health authorities have not yielded progress, with all correspondence and meetings not producing a desired outcome.

“The inhabitants of Mururani and surrounding villages are enduring hardship, and the earlier we act, the better,” he says.

He calls for health centres at Mururani and Satotwa and permanent nurses at Mururani, as well as the upgrade of the Katjinakatji clinic.

“We shall continue making submissions regarding this matter,” he says.

Kavango West regional health director Fransiska Hamutenya says the container was donated by the Centres for Disease Control Foundation to decentralise antiretroviral therapy adherence services as a temporary outreach point known as community-based antiretroviral therapy (CBART).

“The CBART was meant for outreach purposes, hence doesn’t have a permanent staffing structure,” she says, citing transport breakdowns, staffing constraints, and accommodation.

She says the directorate plans to repurpose CBARTs into health posts, with its own staff and all logistics, adding that the exact timelines cannot be determined at this stage. – Nampa

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