MVA seeks financial help to ease its cash shortages

THE Motor Vehicle Accident Fund last year forked out N$19 million to pay service provider bills.

This was revealed by MVA Fund CEO Jerry Muadinohamba at a dinner the fund held at Keetmanshoop last week as part of the Africa Public Service Day (APSS) celebrations.Muadinohamba said increases in service provider bills and road accidents had forced the fund to seek financial assistance from the Ministry of Works and Transport to ease its cash crunch. MVA statistics revealed that 234 road accidents, 463 accident injuries, 36 road deaths and 360 accident claims were recorded between January and May, while invoices paid to service providers totalled 2 823 for the same period. It was also revealed that the fund spends N$459 000 a month on the treatment and rehabilitation of injured road accident victims. According to MVA Fund chief operations officer Rosalia Martins-Hausiku, at least one person a day dies in an accident on the country’s roads. ‘This is cause for concern,’ she remarked. Also speaking at the event, Transport Minister Erkki Nghimtina urged stakeholders to engage in and support road-safety interventions in their regions. This, he added, will gradually lead to a safer national road network and contribute to fewer road deaths and injuries.