We still not understand why we do not have specialised medical doctors at Katima Mulilo State Hospital?
For the last 23 years since Namibia gained its independence, people of this region have been referred to neighboring State Hospitals such as Rundu and Windhoek for medical care due to lack of medical doctors in Katima Mulilo.
Many people lost their lives on the way to those hospitals after travelling long distances because of this shortage of special medical personnel.
Of recent, we have seen a six-year-old boy (Gift Mikatazo) who was born in Katima Mulilo State Hospital with his anus clamped, and who was later referred to Rundu State Hospital in Kavango Region the following day after he was born for medical operations where surgery was performed on the boy.
We have learned that other special medical doctors at Rundu performed an operation on the same boy and they managed to bring out his intestine that carries out his wastes, they also made an opening on his abdomen and placed a makeshift bag which collects and stores the boy’s waste remains.
The boy has been send several times to Katutura State Hospital in Windhoek for urgent medical attention but all in vain and later being told to go back home due to a specialized medical doctor who have been busy with other matters.
With all of this, we feel that this is still not enough to help this boy clinically, because his parents are tasked to touch and be pulling out the boy’s intestine everyday when the makeshift bag they get from the nearest hospital every week is full and they are forced to do that very big task.
Other factors are that, the boy has never attended any schooling because of fears that his peers might injure his wound.
The government, particularly the Ministry of Health and Social Services must do something seriously about this boy, if we do not have a specialist who can help this boy, therefore the Government of the Republic of Namibia should find ways that will make this case to an end.
We therefore urge Health Minister Dr. Kamwi, though he don’t want criticism to look into this case of a boy seriously and he should not deny this again.
Tendencies of referring patients from Zambezi region to other regions should be the stories of the past and we are not saying this that because he is from that region but this is in line with the concerted outcry of the people of this region have been crying for.
Zambezi region (Caprivi Strip) is one of the political regions of Namibia like other regions and should not be administered by other regions of this country.
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