Things fall apart at Health

THEFT scandals continue to haunt the Ministry of Health.
The latest rumours of theft at the Central State Hospital (CSH) demonstrate that the stealing of hospital property is not limited to support and administrative staff, but also involves the medical staff.

The Namibian was told horror stories about a heart-monitoring machine disappearing from the hospital, which is said to have been sold to a local doctor who is now deceased. The theft of the machine and other equipment was said to have been committed by a senior nurse at the hospital.The latest information indicates that the Ministry failed to act against a senior nurse, who was arrested after he was caught allegedly trying to steal a mattress from the hospital.The mattress referred to is said to be one of those donated by the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund for accident victims at the hospital.Case number 69/0509 was registered in May this year, following the arrest of Michael Kasper, a senior nurse at the Central State Hospital.He was released on bail and allegedly resumed work as usual at the hospital. Kasper is said to have worked until July before he resigned and is now employed at the Keetmanshoop State Hospital. Angry staff members accuse hospital management of being reluctant to act against such offenders. It would also appear that hospital management failed to keep the Ministry informed of the situation, as the ministry was still following up on the issue after being approached by The Namibian. It was not clear yesterday whether Kasper was transferred to Keetmanshoop or whether he had resigned and reapplied for a position at Keetmanshoop.Concerned staff members are asking what the situation is like at other hospitals if the biggest hospital in the country, which is situated next to the ministry’s head office, is in such a mess. Less than two weeks ago The Namibian published two articles exposing irregularities at the hospital.The Ministry then admitted to The Namibian that the theft of hospital property was a problem. The Ministry had earlier confirmed that mattresses had gone missing but said that they were ‘100 damaged mattresses that were transported out of the hospital premises for destruction’.’Those mattresses were not fit for use by patients anymore,’ it said.What the ministry could not confirm was whether the mattresses that were being sold on the hospital premises were the same mattresses that were supposed to be destroyed. But it confirmed that the Police were investigating allegations around the sale and theft of mattresses at the hospital.The Ministry also admitted that the hospital management had conducted an internal investigation and that an unspecified number of people involved in the sale of mattresses were being charged for misconduct. The ministry further stated that an unspecified number of mattresses had been returned.The ministry further acknowledged that the Police were investigating a case in which fencing wire belonging to the State was loaded onto a Government truck with the intention of illegally removing it from the hospital grounds.According to the Ministry, the truck never actually left the hospital grounds because it was stopped by security guards.Food supposed to be for patients is apparently being smuggled out of the hospital in body bags – which are never searched – and a host of tricks are being devised daily to bypass security measures. Meanwhile the hospital’s Chief Control Officer is on special leave, working for the Electoral Commission of Namibia for extra pay.tileni@namibian.com.na