• Elizabeth Mwengo
HEALTH and Social Services minister Kalumbi Shangula inaugurated the Nkurenkuru Primary Health Care Clinic on 24 August at Nkurenkuru in the Kavango West region.
The clinic’s ground-breaking ceremony took place in 2013.
It is planned as the first phase of the envisaged Nkurenkuru District Hospital. Once fully operational, the state-of-the-art facility will offer services such as: Screening, monitoring and treatment of common illnesses, growth monitoring and promotion, expanded programmes on immunisation, antenatal and post-natal care, family planning and dental services.
The clinic’s staff structure of 41 positions has been approved, made up of two medical officers, 15 registered nurses, 10 enrolled nurses, one pharmacist, three pharmacist assistants and support staff.
“As a responsive government, we mobilised resources to build this clinic; we mobilised resources to ensure that it is staffed and supplied with the equipment. This is our mission as the Ministry of Health and Social Services,” said Shangula.
Shangula advised the community to take care and make use of the facilities to improve their quality of life.
During the inauguration, chairperson of the Kavango West council Joseph Shivaku said the Nkurenkuru Hospital has exceeded its lifespan, and the population of the region has increased to such an extent that the current hospital cannot cater for all the integrated health demands of the region.
“As a region we still heavily rely on Rundu Intermediate Hospital, even for minor surgeries such as C-sections, something which can be done locally,” said Shivaku.
He said despite having recorded some achievements, the region has many challenges, ranging from the incomplete region management team structure to limited resources at its disposal.
During the inauguration Shangula also handed over an oxygen generating plant and oxygen tanks for the Nkurenkuru Infectious Diseases Isolation Unit, donated by the government, through a partnership between the University of Namibia and Cardiff University.
