Some community members at Grünau settlement in the ||Kharas Region positively welcomed the mobile clinic donated by the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM).
Grünau is located about 160 kilometres south of Keetmanshoop and has a population of 400 people.
In an interview with Nampa, 58-year-old Lina Swartbooi said the new clinic will mean they do not have to travel some 50 kilometres to Karasburg to access healthcare services.
“We are very thankful for this clinic, we now can get our healthcare services here, we can get our tablets here, we can get diagnosed here before we are referred to the hospital in Karasburg. This is a relief to the people of Grünau, we do not have to hitchhike to Karasburg because that is a struggle on its own,” she stressed.
Speaking at the handing over ceremony here on Monday, PDM Member of Parliament, Elma Dienda said the World Bank indicates that 48 per cent of Namibians live in rural areas such as Grünau and providing adequate and accessible healthcare facilities to rural populations have proven to be difficult for the government of the day, noting that that does excuse government from the fact that people in rural areas are entitled to adequate and accessible healthcare.
“This donation is informed by the principle contained in our manifesto that states ‘one constituency, one clinic’, this principle speaks about inherent responsibility that not only government, but also civil society has in terms of securing access to healthcare for all our citizens. Through this project PDM aims to bring healthcare closer to our people and in particular those who have been long abandoned and forgotten in places such as Grünau,” she said.
Dienda implore the settlement residents to fully make use of the clinic for their various medical needs.
Senior Medical Officer for the Karasburg district, Martin Tshisumpa receiving the mobile clinic on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Social Services said in the past the ministry has been offering monthly outreach services to the inhabitants of the settlement, with at least 213 people seen in those outreaches for the 2019/2020 financial year.
According to Tshisumpa the clinic will provide services such as dressings, treatment for Tuberculosis patients, patients with other conditions that need directly-observed treatment, vaccination for COVID-19 and house the ministry outreach service.
Tshisumpa lauded the donation, urging other stakeholders to follow in helping the community develop, citing it is difficult for development to take place without good education and health services.
“We thank our stakeholder PDM for this donation, it is a mark of responsibility and compassion towards the Grünau population and the Namibian population, we encourage them to continue with such initiatives,” he added.
The mobile clinic cost N.dollars 100 000.
Source: Namibia Press Agency
