‘It’s the cleaners, stupid!’

BLAME has been heaped on cleaners for the poor conditions at some of the country’s State hospitals.

Cleaners are more interested in selling sweets and vetkoek than in concentrating on their duties, a parliamentary public committee has been told. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources recently visited several health institutions, including the Otjiwarongo State Hospital, which employs 28 cleaners.”There was not a single cleaner when we got there.About 30 minutes later one came.When we enquired why the place was so dirty, she asked us to give her until the next morning to clean it.She said they did not know that we were coming,” Swapo Member of Parliament Clara Bohitile told the hearing in Windhoek this week.Elma Dienda of the Congress of Democrats said at some institutions cleaners spend more time selling food rather than cleaning.”Worse,” she said, “when it’s the ‘Gardeners’ Daughter’ (soapie on NBC TV), doctors and nurses disappear and leave patients on their own”.Health Permanent Secretary Kahijoro Kahuure said the Ministry was thinking about outsourcing the cleaning of health facilities to improve the service.”It’s a paradigm shift that we will need to address.As a Government we need to look at the best way to address the problems.We need to think differently,” he said.INFRASTRUCTURE Kahuure said most health facilities were in a bad shape and the Ministry of Health had no authority over the infrastructure because that falls under the Works Ministry.”We want the buildings lock, stock and barrel.We want to be in charge of everything including the provision of oxygen.I am affected by things not under me,” he said.Recently, Windhoek hospitals had to operate without oxygen because the service provider had not been paid.Kahuure said even staff members such as the social welfare division were severely affected because of fragmentation.He said social workers were divided between the ministries of Health, Labour, Gender Equality and Prisons – something that created confusion.Batseba Katjiuongua, Director of Social Welfare in the Ministry of Health, said the four ministries compete for around 12 graduates from Unam each year.The Ministry of Health has 154 posts for social workers, of which only 49 per cent are filled, she said.”We have even tried to recruit from neighbouring countries like Zimbabwe.However, they can’t speak the local languages in the rural areas.It is a very serious problem,” Katjiuongua said.The health team which met the parliamentary committee requested lawmakers to put all social workers under one ministry.”As long as they are scattered, we can’t do anything,” Katjiuongua said.Kahuure nodded in agreement and added that a “unified central co-ordinating mechanism” was the way to go.The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources recently visited several health institutions, including the Otjiwarongo State Hospital, which employs 28 cleaners.”There was not a single cleaner when we got there.About 30 minutes later one came.When we enquired why the place was so dirty, she asked us to give her until the next morning to clean it.She said they did not know that we were coming,” Swapo Member of Parliament Clara Bohitile told the hearing in Windhoek this week.Elma Dienda of the Congress of Democrats said at some institutions cleaners spend more time selling food rather than cleaning.”Worse,” she said, “when it’s the ‘Gardeners’ Daughter’ (soapie on NBC TV), doctors and nurses disappear and leave patients on their own”. Health Permanent Secretary Kahijoro Kahuure said the Ministry was thinking about outsourcing the cleaning of health facilities to improve the service.”It’s a paradigm shift that we will need to address.As a Government we need to look at the best way to address the problems.We need to think differently,” he said.INFRASTRUCTURE Kahuure said most health facilities were in a bad shape and the Ministry of Health had no authority over the infrastructure because that falls under the Works Ministry.”We want the buildings lock, stock and barrel.We want to be in charge of everything including the provision of oxygen.I am affected by things not under me,” he said.Recently, Windhoek hospitals had to operate without oxygen because the service provider had not been paid.Kahuure said even staff members such as the social welfare division were severely affected because of fragmentation.He said social workers were divided between the ministries of Health, Labour, Gender Equality and Prisons – something that created confusion.Batseba Katjiuongua, Director of Social Welfare in the Ministry of Health, said the four ministries compete for around 12 graduates from Unam each year.The Ministry of Health has 154 posts for social workers, of which only 49 per cent are filled, she said.”We have even tried to recruit from neighbouring countries like Zimbabwe.However, they can’t speak the local languages in the rural areas.It is a very serious problem,” Katjiuongua said.The health team which met the parliamentary committee requested lawmakers to put all social workers under one ministry.”As long as they are scattered, we can’t do anything,” Katjiuongua said.Kahuure nodded in agreement and added that a “unified central co-ordinating mechanism” was the way to go.