Rupara: The Rupara Health Centre in the Musese Constituency of the Kavango West Region is currently operating without a permanently stationed doctor, compelling the facility to rely on visiting doctors who only come once a week.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Registered Nurse and acting nurse in charge of the health centre, Chrispinus Kanyetu Kanyengo, reported that the centre is dependent on doctors who travel from other towns, typically visiting on Wednesdays. Kanyengo expressed concerns about the quality of care, noting that visiting doctors often arrive late and exhausted, which impacts their ability to provide optimal care to patients.

The health centre faces significant challenges in managing patient loads, with queues of 80 to 96 patients on days when doctors are available. Serving approximately 12,850 residents, the facility struggles with limited resources. The maternity ward, for instance, is equipped with just two beds, necessitating the use of general wards to accommodate postnatal patients when the maternity beds are full. Kanyengo emphasized the need for a dedicated maternity unit to ensure privacy and safe care for mothers.

Ongoing construction of a new maternity building is anticipated to alleviate the space shortages once completed. However, the centre continues to grapple with several infrastructural issues. A lack of an ambulance, a broken backup generator, and reliance on cellphones for communication due to the absence of a landline further exacerbate the challenges posed by the doctor shortage. Additionally, inadequate housing for staff forces some nurses to seek rental accommodation within the community.

Kanyengo noted that while a structure for a doctor's post exists within the establishment, delays in recruitment and budgeting have hindered the appointment of a permanent doctor. He emphasized the need for government intervention to fill the doctor post and align the human resources budget with the facility's requirements. He also urged the ministry to address infrastructure issues, such as repairing or replacing the generator, providing transport for patient referrals, and ensuring adequate staffing for the new maternity unit upon its opening.

Kavango West Regional Health Director Fransiska Hamutenya acknowledged the challenges faced by the health centre, attributing them to human resources and budgetary constraints.