Hertta-Maria Amutenja
The Okahao State Hospital in the Omusati Region has been grappling with a critical shortage of essential medical supplies.
Patients seeking medical care have been left stranded without critical items such as health passports, tonsil medication, and amoxicillin syrup, sparking growing concerns over the deteriorating state of healthcare services in the area.
The Windhoek Observer visited the hospital on Sunday and witnessed that the essential items were indeed out of stock.
Due to a lack of medical passports, patients received handwritten documents to record their medical information.
“This is frustrating. I came here for my child’s medication, and now I’m walking away with nothing. Even the health passport, which should be a basic item, is unavailable,” said Salmi Uupindi, a mother who visited the hospital seeking treatment for her five-year-old child.
Another patient, Panduleni Ileka, expressed his disappointment, saying, “How can we trust the health system when we are constantly being told to come back tomorrow? This is not the first time we are experiencing shortages at this hospital.”
Residents are now questioning how such issues could persist for weeks without resolution.
Hospital staff, speaking anonymously, also acknowledged the shortages and described the situation as challenging.
They noted that patients’ frustrations have mounted due to the unavailability of medication for common conditions, particularly for children who rely on amoxicillin syrup.
“We are trying our best to work with what we have, but it’s not enough,” said one staff member.
Questions regarding the shortages were sent to the health minister, Kalumbi Shangula, and the Omusati regional health director, Alfons Amoomo.
However, at the time of publication, Amoomo had not responded to the questions.
Shangula refuted claims about the shortage of health passports.
“I am responding from Okahao, meaning that I am giving you first-hand information. Regarding health passports, the situation is as follows: There is no shortage of health passports either in Okahao or in our General Stores in Windhoek. The claim that there are no health passports is unfounded,” he said.
Addressing the stockout of certain medications, Shangula acknowledged that the issue is a persistent challenge.
“This is a procurement issue. The tender for the supply of medicines is held up in the Supreme Court. We are, however, doing buy-outs in quantities that do not meet our needs. Once the disputes are resolved in courts, we will be able to enter into multi-year contractual arrangements with suppliers for a predictable and sustainable supply of medicines,” he explained.
President-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, during her campaign trail, has acknowledged that there is a challenge with the shortage of medicine in hospitals.
She attributed the issue to the procurement process.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said the party has pledged to urgently review the procurement policy to guarantee the availability of medicine and medical equipment in public health facilities.
Questions regarding the shortages were sent to the health minister, Kalumbi Shangula, and the Omusati regional health director, Alfons Amoomo.
At the time of publication, neither had responded to the questions.