Musese gets doctors once a week only

The Rupara Health Centre at Musese in the Kavango West region has no permanent doctor, leaving the facility to rely on doctors who visit only once a week.

Chrispinus Kanyengo, a registered nurse and acting nurse in charge of the health centre, says the facility depends on doctors who visit from other towns, usually on Wednesdays.

“They arrive late and are tired from other clinics. By the time they get here, they are exhausted, and the quality of care is affected,” he says.

Kanyengo says the facility sometimes faces queues of 80 to 96 patients on the days when visiting doctors are available.

The health centre serves approximately 12 850 people but operates with limited resources. Kanyengo says the maternity ward has only two beds, forcing staff to use general wards to accommodate post-natal patients.

“We need a dedicated maternity unit and staff so mothers have privacy and safe care,” he says.

Kanyengo says a new maternity building under construction should help address the lack of space once it is completed.

The facility additionally faces several infrastructure challenges.

It has no ambulance, and the backup generator is broken, leaving the centre vulnerable during power outages. Staff members rely on cellphones for communication as there is no landline.

Housing for staff is also inadequate, with only three houses available, forcing some nurses to rent accommodation among the community.

Kanyengo says the structure for a doctor post already exists at the establishment, but recruitment and budgeting delays have prevented the appointment.

“If the means were there, the post could be filled. It’s a budgeting and human resources issue,” he says.

He calls on the government to fill the permanent doctor post and ensure the human resources budget matches the facility’s needs.

Kanyengo also urges the ministry to repair or replace the centre’s generator, provide transport for patient referrals, and prioritise staffing for the new maternity unit when it opens.

While he welcomes recent improvements in overall staffing ratios, Kanyengo says the centre will continue to rely on outreach visits without a permanent doctor, which undermines continuity of care.

Kavango West regional health director Fransiska Hamutenya has acknowledged the problem and cites human resources and budget constraints as the main obstacles.

– Nampa

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