Elderly struggle with lack of eye care at Tsumeb hospital

Tsumeb pensioners say they are frustrated that the local state hospital does not provide eye care, forcing them to travel nearly 250km to Onandjokwe State Hospital in the Oshikoto region for specialised care.

Many say although the government does pay their transport costs, the long distances, combined with accommodation expenses and their declining health, make it increasingly difficult to access much-needed eye treatment.

“I can hardly see well any more, and the doctors here are telling me I need to be transported to Onandjokwe for better treatment. That is very exhausting for someone my age,” Angula Nuuyuni (90) says.

He says travelling long distances drains his health and could worsen his condition.

“After all these years, why is it that we struggle just to have access to eye treatment at Tsumeb? The government needs to start prioritising these things, because not all of us can afford private healthcare,” he says.

Nuunyuni says not only the elderly are struggling, but so do many other residents.

“Although most of us here receive a pension, that money is not enough for us to get private treatment and stay at home for treatment,” he says.

He says the lack of service from the Ministry of Health and Social Services feels “like punishment for being old”.

A source, who prefers to remain anonymous, says health officials have previously noted that the shortage of eye specialists in the country has left many regional hospitals without proper facilities.

The source says this puts pressure on referral hospitals like Onandjokwe State Hospital and a few other state hospitals.

While pensioners continue to face these struggles, some communities in the north have turned to local initiatives to support the elderly.

The Eonde community in the Omusati region hosted its annual health awareness outreach on 12 August, led by cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Ismael Awala.

The outreach, dedicated to elderly residents, provided free medical check-ups, health education and social support.

Awala, who is from Eonde village, says the programme is aimed at giving back to the elderly, who once carried communities.

“The elderly often feel forgotten when it comes to healthcare, yet they are the ones who raised us. These programmes are about bringing care closer to them,” he said during the outreach.

The initiative, however, did not include specialised eye care services, but included services like dentistry, blood pressure monitoring and general check-ups.

The Namibian reached out to health ministry spokesperson Walters Kamaya yesterday, who said Tsumeb hospital provides basic eye care services.

“For specialised eye care services we refer to IHo Onandjokwe, where we have ophthalmologists.

Patients are booked and transported with state vehicles. Our ophthalmic officer at Tsumeb has been transferred elsewhere.

“We have advertised for the two positions of ophthalmic officers and are waiting for the recruitment process to be finalised, despite a limited number of ophthalmic officers in the job market,” he said.

Kamaya said the ministry takes full responsibility for accommodation, food and transportation.

“We also offer outreach services, during which a group of specialised doctors travel to any region and treat the patients,” he said.

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