NEWS - NAMIBIA
| 2013-08-08
Learner dies after being denied treatment
MPUNGU - A Grade eight pupil at the Himarwa Ifete Secondary School in the western Kavango died a day after she was allegedly refused treatment because she did not have a health passport.
The deceased has been identified as 17-year-old Agnes Hausiku, a resident of the Sikarosompo village in the Mpungu Constituency.
Her next of kin have been informed.
Hausiku and a friend, Hellen Kamanya, walked to the Mpungu Clinic, which is two kilometres from her school, after lessons on Monday afternoon to seek medical treatment as they both were not feeling well.
The two learners both did not have health passports, and upon arrival at the health centre, they were given temporary papers at the reception, which were not stamped.
According to Kamanya, she entered the screening room, where a registered nurse there allegedly told her that she was not going to attend to patients who do not have their health passports with them.
That nurse’s name has not yet been established.
Kamanya and Hausiku then went back to the school without receiving any treatment for an unidentified illness.
Their teacher Lasco Sachuma said yesterday that the deceased never got better since Monday, and collapsed on Tuesday evening while studying.
Hausiku was struggling to breathe when she was rushed to the same health centre, but was pronounced dead upon her arrival there.
Efforts to get comment from Mpungu Circuit Inspector Mathews Kalihonda proved futile as his mobile phone remained off on Wednesday.
Contacted for comment yesterday, the Chief Medical Officer for the Kavango Region, Dr Harrison Wambugu, said he had not yet received the incident report, but promised to enquire about it.
Meanwhile, the Medical Superintendent of the Rundu Intermediate Hospital, Dr Juri Yangazov, said the ministry’s health policy is clear that if a patient does not have a health passport, he or she should be provided with a temporary one.
“That was absolutely wrong of the nurse to refuse them treatment. They should have provided the patients with a temporary one, and attend to the patient,” said Yangazov.
– Nampa
Comments
All this cases of people not being treated at GRN hospitals is an on going thing.Ministry of Health..............................................................................................
There is a saying the GRN workers use.The GRN does not fire just transfere you to another Hospital or town - 702
this is seriously soooo terrible. put your self in her shoes n that of her family. may her soul rest in peace - Elizzy
It is absolutely wrong of the nurese to refuse to provide a help for the patients. This is a big issue it shld be follw up. - mk
What did he/ she do now? How do he/She think? If it was his or her child or family will he/she denied treatment? Please nurses or any workers who behaving the same Pray every day before you start with your work so that God can help you to removes all those stress u have cause u to kills other people from you. Please Please. My condolenscence to the bereaved family. - Queen
My question to her is if she oneday happens to knock on my door for help will you expect to be assisted. What a heartless Nurse? O motho ka batho!! if you do not know.
uh! what a nurse vakwe2! is a corruption or what? - veronika
This is really disturbing. Ministry of health should do something, please investigate without delay and charge the culprit (the nurse). How many lives are we going to be lost because of nurses? the family of the deceased must sue the nurse so that other nurses can learn the lesson. - toivo
hmm m is a big problem - petrus
first and foremost, my condolescence to the bereaved family. This is the second incident to happen in the region where a patient is denied treatment due to the lack of a health passport. Last month a teenage girl from Mpungu area was also denied treatment at Nankundu Health Centre after she was bitten by a snake and sadly the young girl died. I think the ministry should seriously look into two incident and neccessary actions should be taken for those involved. - J.T. O'shie
Massage of condolence to the bereaved family, May her soul rest in iternal peace and I suggest if possible then its better to fine the culprit for such carelesnes.... - Johannes M S
How can a person be so heartless like that? - Mark
This is really hectic, if i can recall from +8 years ago the same incident happened at the same hospital whereby a child was refused to be treated simply because he did not have a health passport. The child was bitten by a snake and the registered nurses did not help his critical condition just because of the health passport and he just died in front of them. Such registered nurses should be punished so that the others should learn from him/her. My dear registered nurses, let us have the heart of helping our nation to make to a contribution of our vision 2030.. - Lucas Nekaro
That nurse is a job seeker, s/he doesn't have the love of the work at heart s/he must be fired with immediate effect. - Theresia
That nurse who refused to treat the student patient should be fired and her nursing papers should be revoked. - Lyangurungunda
And then you want to blame Dr Kamwi again. Noooo blame the registered nurse that allegedly told the poor girls that she was not going to attend to patients who do not have their health passports with them. - satchmore
Our hospitals are slowly turning into killing fields and something must be done about it. - Horst K Iipumbu
This kind of nurses must fired and spoiled their files not to get work anywere, useless people... - Westa
Only by punishing the guilty ones can we reward the hard working one. How many people will die in the hands of the ones who were suppose to save them...how many more lives are going to be lost before we declare a state of emergency in public health institutions?
Even the current drought was pronounced a state emergency... how many lives did it claim compared to those lost in our public health institutions...unnecessarily?
I think its time Namibians learn how to sue... that seem to be the only this murderer nurses will learn a lesson. - Filip
AL-MIGHTY GOD,PUT YOUR HOLLY SPIRIT INTO OUR NURSES.AMEN - PITSUE
Its very bad that happennings like this occur in Independent Namibia,but this not a suprise because nurses and other hospital officials at clinics and hospitals have bad attitudes,they suppose to be in a noble proffesion that assist but luk they a causing death now.I sssugest the minister or whoever is responsible investigate this and if there was neglegent somewhere the culprit must be brought to book,we can not have children who suppose to be responsible for the future die in such unfortunate matter,iits real sad,my condolences to the family of the victim,may her soul rest in peace. - Kandala Sigberth
Too bad and it is a great loss for the family , the region and the country. such public servant must be punished accordingly. They are reducing the population in a bad manner, careless nurse. - L.T
The nurses needs to start concentrating on important issues and stop giving attitude and feeling bossy. Let this nurse that is responsible for this be severely punished because they will get used to getting away with it. Its very painful to know that in an independent Namibia people are still punished for unnecessary stuffs. - Wendy Namboga
Enough with lives being lost at hands of people obliged to save them like Nurses at state health facilities. a fellow surviving learner Hellen Kamanya and the official who issued them with temporary medical passports must give testimony during the disciplinary proceedings, and this nurse must pay for her/his dirty antics so that she learn from it as well as be examprary to others with such ill-manners. - Nick
- Ni
I just don't understand what is the matter with some of the Health personel.. Did they not took an oath,or did they just stand there before the Heads making empty promises to serve people? If they don't want to work,they should then just pack their packs and let those who wants to work to work.... - Andre Bezuidenhoudt
We demand immediate action from the ministry of heath, Dr Kamwi please sir. .............. - T.M Linda
This is unacceptable and inhuman to allow a situation like this. We need to learn to prioritize, the life of a person cannot be equal to the health passport. A health passport is something that one can get time by time if lost but life of a human being cannot be found once lost. The Ministry must deal with the nurse responsible for that. - Chrispin
I think it's rude not to attend to a patient because of simple health passport. saving someone/ patients life its much better than knowing a patients' name. people gets credit when they save a life, than taking or causing a life. I think the nurse was being self centered governments free services no one suppose to be denied treatment in governments health facilities regardless of having the money or not its impossible to replace a life but a health passport u can............I am 99% confident that the nurse wasn't doing her work the MoH should look in this matter.......It's a great sadness to the family of the deceased. - Paul V
A very sad news indeed and my heartfelt condolence to the family. but let us please not cover all nurses in the same blanket. there are outstanding nurses who are doing wonderful nursing, in the same vein, let us give Dr Kamwi a break. there are managers out there in disricts and regions to do that on his be half. - Nicholaus
I think nurses need to be trained enough on how to serve the patients, its seems like those bad attitude is happening all over Namibia hospitals and clinics, not only in Okavango. this nurse must be example of others, and the punishment should be dismissal from job and jailed for couple of years. L K - Lukas
it is total wrong of the nurse refuse to treatment the learner.what if the health passport it get lost? please nurse be serious with your work - veronika
I think that the nurse must be use to attending refresh workshop two times per year. Realy we don't know why register nurses used to make mistake always, while we the community use to think that they can helps the nation accordingly, but every day and night just nurses who do wrong things to the nation. Do realy oarth to help/ assist the namibia nation or may be they are came to the duties while they are drunk? Tate Kamwi do some thing to all these nonsense which are accure in your ministry plz. Than nurses she/ he must the the nation the reality plz. family member dont leave this nurse she /he must tell us nicely. - martha benhardt
I think the nurses must be given lectures on how to behave towards their patients, and they must consider the lifes of their fellow namibians. this is unacceptable. nurses especially the young ones that came in the system recently, are not serious and they are rude towards the patients. invetigation and prosecution must be done, and possible sentence shall be imposed considering the interest of the entire society and rehabilitation of the other nurses. please nurses should change their atitude, we have right to health and life. - Simson
my condolency to hausiku's family. its just a sad news to happen that way. the nation have to calm down please and lets not judge the poor nurse. myb its more than that we r hearing. why cant we wait for the incident report to finish than we will start comment rather than judging the poor nurse, a registered nurse for that matter. God will punsh these who jumps to conclusions, these who think they knw while they r zero minded - gerhardt
i think this nurse must be chareged for murder and she should never work in the ministry of health because she is irresponsible and selfish - Ndapewoshali Kautwima
this is a serious case the Ministry of Health should take serious step. Some Nurses they don't care about people's lives. - Shaumbwakor
that nurse is selfish and situpit she must charged with muder. - Ruth
oh life cannot be replaced, and no amount of good words can wipe away the family tears,the damage is soo big .Minister Kamwi do something to her/ his qualification papers so that she cannot not proceed with the same carrier .because we know she will go private once you chased her - Rachel
That nurse should be charged with murder, minister Kami your stuff is bringing you down. - Louisa Jona
It`s a shame something like this is happening in our region, I don`t really know were this world is going. Investigate the matters and find the solutions. My condolences to the victim`s family. - hausiku hh
Many nurses they don`t now their job yet. - Meke
I dont think this is true because the health of the patient is first what is the health passport to day Health minister please look in to this matter very urgencly - A.G
this nurse should be dealed with accordingly we are tired of this bad behaviour practised by nurses.we want the outcome of this case as soon as possible. - mweneni
If, proved true, that the registered nurse refused to treat the students who were provided with temporary health passports, that nurse must be brought to book immediately. - Phillipus Uusiku
Minister Richard Kamwi: do something to this nurse immediately. ndapewa
It was so unprofessional and total negligence by the nurse. I have noticed on numerous occasions that some nursing staff don't have passion for their or some of them are tired. The way some look at you when you enter a health centre makes your situation more worse,it is so unwelcoming!!!! But I would applaud the student nurses especially in Keetmanshoop for their efforts of making you feel comfortable with their smiles and willingness to asssist. I think their tutors taught them well. - Melinsia
This is pure NEGLIGENCE. it shows the ministry's staff does not regard the ministry's mission and vission SERIOUSLY. Purely, these staff are only there for monetary gain than helping the patients, the case is not isolated... I witnessed one, once in my lifetime. It is time the Acts are changed and such staff are chased home forever. - Headman/Councillor Johann Dewaldt
That is unprofessional work, that nurse must be suspended before we lose many lives, Lets compare our life with other people's life so that we can have mercy. It is very painful to died in the hands of surviour. - Ndapewa Shoongeleni
even the patient doest have the passport for the clinic they have to attend to the patient sothat they can safe the life for the child they must deal with that nurse. - iyaloo
namibian murders are: some men and..... some nurses - undari A
What a shocking news....... what is this country turning into? - Hausiku veronica
That is really shocking for me hear that, there are still some professional people who are causing other peoples death. The said nurse must be fired to avoid future lose of lives in the hands of one person. We can not continue to suffer like this in our own country, after we hardly won our independent and having the promising government who tried much, to supply medical equipment to all corners of the country. But one person denies ones chance to live. I can't believe it really. - kalihonda gelasius kalipa
This nurse must be charged with a case of Murder.. Idiot - Edward
