Mix settlement health facility only open once a month

Residents of the Mix settlement on the outskirts of the capital say the only clinic in the area only opens only once a month.

This forces them to travel to Windhoek for medical care, which they say is unaffordable.

The residents are calling on the authorities to establish a daily clinic.

Community leader Johannes Palata (58) who has been living in the area for 15 years, says he already earns little and travelling for health services is a heavy burden.

“I already have to share the little I earn with my family. I am just a security guard, so I don’t earn enough,” he says.

The clinic was introduced to the community in 2023.

On the days it is open, not all medical services are provided, the residents say.

Ndeyapo Amagulu says they rely on taxis to transport sick people, since ambulances arrive late.

She says some illnesses are chronic and people could die while waiting for an ambulance.

“We want the councillor we voted for to bring the service closer to us,” she says.

Natalia Indongo says a return trip costs N$76 – an expense many simply cannot afford.

“We cannot postpone illnesses. Windhoek is far and transport money is not always available. We want the clinic to open immediately,” she says.

Ministry of Health and Social Services spokesperson Walters Kamaya says the facility is not a clinic, but rather a primary healthcare outreach point.

He says the settlement has been identified as one of the areas earmarked for the development of a future healthcare facility.

“It is one of the 37 primary healthcare outreach posts in the Windhoek district where services are offered on a monthly basis, “ he says, adding that until a fully operational clinic is established, residents will continue to access health services through an outreach programme.

Constituency councillor Willem Gariseb says securing a clinic for the community is top priority as the population has increased.

“We need to get a clinic there because the population is growing,” he says.

Gariseb says he also plans to meet with the police and the health ministry early next year to bring a mobile police post to the area as crime has increased.

Resident Lusinga Augustinhu says children are forced to travel due to the lack of higher grades at the only government school in the area.

“Our children wake up as early as 04h00 to go to school in Windhoek. I give each child N$76 per day for transport, and for all three children it amounts to about N$4 000 per month,” she says.

Augustinhu is calling on the authorities to extend the grades offered in the area to at least Grade 7 to ease parents’ burden.

Khomas education director Paulus Nghikembua says the construction of the school has stalled after architects withdrew from the project, forcing termination of the contract.

He has since confirmed that construction has resumed and the project is back on track, with completion expected by next year.

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