Doctor downs scalpel over hospital chaos

DETERIORATING conditions at State hospitals in Windhoek apparently forced an orthopaedic specialist to yesterday pack his bags and leave State patients queuing at the Windhoek State Hospital’s outpatients’ ward.

Being forced to perform a knee-transplant operation in the dark because of a power failure two days ago seems to have been the last straw for Dr Alex Skinner. Skinner is alleged to have told patients waiting to see him yesterday that he would only be able to see them next week.”He just came to us and said that there’s absolutely nothing going on here (at the hospital), so he’s leaving,” one patient told The Namibian yesterday morning.The Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Helen Nkandi-Shiimi, eventually attended to the patients.’DANGEROUS’ Last night, Skinner told The Namibian that the situation at State hospitals had reached a stage where it could no longer be ignored.”It’s a dangerous situation for the patients,” he said.Nkandi-Shiimi confirmed what had happened, and also revealed that Skinner had sent a letter to Health Minister Richard Kamwi, in which he had listed a host of complaints about State hospitals in Windhoek.Nkandi-Shiimi however maintained that the problems mentioned by Skinner were mainly confined to the Katutura State hospital.”He mentions things like a broken bed in Katutura and the need for an intern to work with him,” she said.She added that the power failure, which occurred on Monday morning, and which saw Skinner and his operating team forced to complete a knee-transplant operation by flashlight, was beyond the hospital’s control.”These things happen everywhere, even at homes,” she said.Nkandi-Shiimi expressed sympathy for the doctor’s views, saying that he was not the only doctor to have voiced concern over the conditions at the hospitals, but criticised his decision to walk out.”Even if we are angry with each other, it’s not necessary to make the patients suffer”, she said.”Some of these people had come from afar.One man I saw today came from Walvis Bay,” she said.Nkandi-Shiimi said further that “we really have a blaming culture in this country.People must understand that there are a lot of dilapidated things in this hospital, equipment that is about 30 years old.We are in the process of revamping, but it takes time.”Skinner last night described the problems at the hospitals as largely financial, citing the example of equipment at both the Katutura and Central State hospitals.”We’ve been asking them for years to look into not only the issue of personnel but also equipment, but the answer we keep getting is that they will do something,” he said, explaining his action.”We’re basically trying to exert some pressure on them to really do something about it,” he said.The bed referred to by Nkandi-Shiimi was in fact a theatre bed, which hadn’t been in working order for the past three years, he said.It was the only bed he could use for his operations, he said, meaning that performing operations at the hospital was no longer viable.Referring back to Monday’s “extremely dangerous situation” at the Central State hospital, Skinner said that apart from the power failure, he could not find a drill needed for this type of operation in working order.”On the other hand you also have a personnel problem.The two doctors we have permanently at the hospital work with no interns and have no assistants.The staff are really working themselves to death.And you can check, they’ve really been doing excellent work.But things just can’t go on like this,” he said.Nkandi-Shiimi said she didn’t want her comments to reflect badly on Skinner as a professional.”I have a lot of respect for Dr Skinner, and he really does an extraordinary job,” she added.At the same time, she also took issue with those private doctors who, she claimed, often neglected to honour their duty to State patients.”If you go out there now, where are all these doctors? Some are supposed to be here from eight to five o’clock.But they are all allowed to have private practices.How can we control them?” she said.Skinner is alleged to have told patients waiting to see him yesterday that he would only be able to see them next week.”He just came to us and said that there’s absolutely nothing going on here (at the hospital), so he’s leaving,” one patient told The Namibian yesterday morning.The Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Helen Nkandi-Shiimi, eventually attended to the patients.’DANGEROUS’ Last night, Skinner told The Namibian that the situation at State hospitals had reached a stage where it could no longer be ignored.”It’s a dangerous situation for the patients,” he said.Nkandi-Shiimi confirmed what had happened, and also revealed that Skinner had sent a letter to Health Minister Richard Kamwi, in which he had listed a host of complaints about State hospitals in Windhoek.Nkandi-Shiimi however maintained that the problems mentioned by Skinner were mainly confined to the Katutura State hospital.”He mentions things like a broken bed in Katutura and the need for an intern to work with him,” she said.She added that the power failure, which occurred on Monday morning, and which saw Skinner and his operating team forced to complete a knee-transplant operation by flashlight, was beyond the hospital’s control.”These things happen everywhere, even at homes,” she said.Nkandi-Shiimi expressed sympathy for the doctor’s views, saying that he was not the only doctor to have voiced concern over the conditions at the hospitals, but criticised his decision to walk out.”Even if we are angry with each other, it’s not necessary to make the patients suffer”, she said.”Some of these people had come from afar.One man I saw today came from Walvis Bay,” she said. Nkandi-Shiimi said further that “we really have a blaming culture in this country.People must understand that there are a lot of dilapidated things in this hospital, equipment that is about 30 years old.We are in the process of revamping, but it takes time.”Skinner last night described the problems at the hospitals as largely financial, citing the example of equipment at both the Katutura and Central State hospitals.”We’ve been asking them for years to look into not only the issue of personnel but also equipment, but the answer we keep getting is that they will do something,” he said, explaining his action.”We’re basically trying to exert some pressure on them to really do something about it,” he said.The bed referred to by Nkandi-Shiimi was in fact a theatre bed, which hadn’t been in working order for the past three years, he said.It was the only bed he could use for his operations, he said, meaning that performing operations at the hospital was no longer viable.Referring back to Monday’s “extremely dangerous situation” at the Central State hospital, Skinner said that apart from the power failure, he could not find a drill needed for this type of operation in working order.”On the other hand you also have a personnel problem.The two doctors we have permanently at the hospital work with no interns and have no assistants.The staff are really working themselves to death.And you can check, they’ve really been doing excellent work.But things just can’t go on like this,” he said.Nkandi-Shiimi said she didn’t want her comments to reflect badly on Skinner as a professional.”I have a lot of respect for Dr Skinner, and he really does an extraordinary job,” she added.At the same time, she also took issue with those private doctors who, she claimed, often neglected to honour their duty to State patients.”If you go out there now, where are all these doctors? Some are supposed to be here from eight to five o’clock.But they are all allowed to have private practices.How can we control them?” she said.