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06:34Last update on: 13 Aug 2013
The Namibian
Tue 13 Aug 2013
SMS Of The Day * MINISTRY of Gender and Child Welfare, TEARS are rolling down as I write this SMS. The killing of women in Namibia is now like reciting a poem. Are we really getting the protection we deserve while women not being treated as part of this c Food For Thought * SO the Zimbabwe elections were free and peaceful and not free and fair? Bouquets And Brickbats * NURSES at Katutura Hospital must stop wearing those big plastic sandals at work because they are not the official working shoes. We want to see you looking smart and beautiful with your full uniform. SMS Of The Day * THIS nation is in dire need of a massive conference on housing. When we experienced a crisis in the education sector a crisis-control brain-storming conference was organised which resulted in the best deal ever for the Namibian child, nam Food For Thought * BOURGEOISIE has become a daily occupation if not the order of the day of the upper-echelons, President Hifikepunye Pohamba we urge you to revisit this unpatriotic geocentricism among your staff and the well-connected, for everybody to r Bouquets And Brickbats * COMMISSIONER of Prisons, can you please explain the strategies you use to appoint officers to certain positions? It is my observation that you are being fed with wrong information then you just promote individuals without making p SMS Of The Day * I THINK Paulus ‘The Rock’ Ambunda lost his belt because of this promoter and trainer. How can a world champion still be training at the Katutura Youth Complex where there is not enough equipment. I think they must follow the example of Ha Food For Thought * NAMIBIA Dairies are unable to match low prices of imported milk and this ultimately means the consumer will have to pay more for local milk. Look at the prices of the local chicken. All these profits are going in the pockets of a few in Bouquets And Brickbats * I AM pleased to hear that Cabinet has responded positively to the proposal of Namibia Dairies to support the industry. The restrictions which support the industry by reducing competition to ensure the survival of the industry is a SMS Of The Day * CEO’s golden handshakes. Somewhere on our statute books there must be a provision that if a board of directors suspends/dismisses a CEO without due regard to legal provision (substantive/procedural law) such board must carry the costs for Food For Thought * JACKY Asheeke was so right with her last column- why are the fathers of the dead children not being prosecuted? (Reference to the children who died in shack fires last week) Our justice system still protects men over women. In this cont Bouquets And Brickbats * ALEXACTUS Kaure, your column in Friday’s newspaper opened my eyes. One hardly finds impartial case study analysers in Namibia. Let’s not destroy the Polytechnic’s strong foundation (Tjivikua) as yet. At least wait until the transf
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NEWS - NAMIBIA
| 2013-08-01
MoHSS assists Otjimuhaka villagers
Hileni Nembwaya
HOW IT’S DONE ... Sunday Ipinge demonstrates how a pregnant woman is being screened at Otjimuhaka village.
Photograph by Hileni Nembwaya
THE Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) has implemented a health extension worker (HEW) system that is aimed at improving access to primary health care and social welfare for rural communities in Kunene region.
Opuwo district hospital chief health programme administrator Jogbeth Karutjaiva said the overall objective of the system is to increase the awareness and knowledge to improve the attitudes and practices related to the prevention, promotion, treatment and rehabilitation of common conditions in order to improve the health of life in households and communities.
“The drought problem remains a challenge as many people have now moved to different areas in search of survival and it has become a problem for many people to reach the hospital,” said Karutjaiva.
This is in spite of the fact that the United Nations Children’s Education Fund (Unicef) and USAID have been assisting during the initial phase and have been funding the system since the launch on 12 April 2012.
Karutjaiva said 40 health extension workers were trained for a period of six months from April to September 2012 but only 34 of them graduated and will be deployed in Etanga, Okangwati and Otjimuhaka.
A lack of confidence and counselling skills among some extension workers, their poor turn over and walking long distances and a lack of public transport remains a big challenge for them in the region.
One of the community based extension workers at Otjimuhaka village, about 100 km from Opuwo, Sunday Ipinge said there is a high turn over from the community members since many of them are willing to work with them but cultural practices continue to play a big role as many of the community members still believe in traditional medicine and witchcraft.
“Cultural practices are very high in the area and many people still believe in witchcraft, even though we are trying our best to create awareness among villagers,” Ipinge said.
The area is also said to have experienced a lot of cholera cases because it is based at the Kunene river border post and a lot of Angolan nationals have been suspected of spread the virus because they are always crossing the border into Namibia on a daily basis.
Malaria is also said to be high in the area and it still remains a challenge too.
According to the information obtained from UNICEF, the MoHSS has allocated US$18 million for the next two years in order to scale up the HEW information and evidence on strengths and weakness of extension workers.
“The drought problem remains a challenge as many people have now moved to different areas in search of survival and it has become a problem for many people to reach the hospital,” said Karutjaiva.
This is in spite of the fact that the United Nations Children’s Education Fund (Unicef) and USAID have been assisting during the initial phase and have been funding the system since the launch on 12 April 2012.
Karutjaiva said 40 health extension workers were trained for a period of six months from April to September 2012 but only 34 of them graduated and will be deployed in Etanga, Okangwati and Otjimuhaka.
A lack of confidence and counselling skills among some extension workers, their poor turn over and walking long distances and a lack of public transport remains a big challenge for them in the region.
One of the community based extension workers at Otjimuhaka village, about 100 km from Opuwo, Sunday Ipinge said there is a high turn over from the community members since many of them are willing to work with them but cultural practices continue to play a big role as many of the community members still believe in traditional medicine and witchcraft.
“Cultural practices are very high in the area and many people still believe in witchcraft, even though we are trying our best to create awareness among villagers,” Ipinge said.
The area is also said to have experienced a lot of cholera cases because it is based at the Kunene river border post and a lot of Angolan nationals have been suspected of spread the virus because they are always crossing the border into Namibia on a daily basis.
Malaria is also said to be high in the area and it still remains a challenge too.
According to the information obtained from UNICEF, the MoHSS has allocated US$18 million for the next two years in order to scale up the HEW information and evidence on strengths and weakness of extension workers.
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