Category: Medical

WINDHOEK: The Road Fund Administration (RFA) on Tuesday handed over an ambulance to the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund for use by the Divundu Emergency Centre in the Kavango East Region.

Receiving the donation, MVA Fund Chief Executive Officer Rosalia Hausiku said the distance between Kavango East and the Zambezi Region made it difficult for medics to attend to road accidents in time, hence the establishment of the emergency centre at Divundu about a year ago.

The emergency centre was equipped with a response vehicle which allowed medics to get to accident scenes, but it could not transport patients.

‘The new ambulance is expected to eliminate this challenge,’ Hausiku said.

Handing over the donation, RFA CEO Ali Ipinge said it is within the fund’s mandate to bring services closer to people.

‘We took it upon ourselves to partner with the MVA Fund to deliver this ambulance to help our citizens in the regions of Kavango East and Zambezi,’ he said.

The ambulance, which was converted into a 4×4 vehicle, i
s valued at N.dollars 1.3 million.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

OSHIVELO: A 25-year-old woman reportedly committed suicide by hanging herself with a cloth at Oshivelo in the Oshikoto region, on Saturday.

According to an incident report by the Namibian Police Force availed here, the incident happened after the deceased allegedly quarrelled with her boyfriend, the previous night.

The deceased was identified as Esther Ndatyooli Thomas.

No suicide note was left and the deceased body was transported to Omuthiya police mortuary for handling.

The next of kin have been informed and police investigation continues.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

By Mayayong

The Regional Hospital in Bamenda is in dire need of incubators for babies born prematurely according to the Hospital’s director, Dr. Denis Nsame.

Dr. Nsame, speaking to CNA, explained that there are currently 19 pre-term babies in the hospital but the hospital’s neonatal unit only has 6 incubators, leaving 13 other premature babies who need to be in an incubator, without one.

Dr. Noela Ngwanyama who heads the neonatal unit at the Hospital also explained that most of these pre-term babies have infections, asphyxia (breathing difficulties due to their poorly-formed lungs), and neonatal jaundice.

Dr. Nsame, the director of the hospital, also explained that there is a shortage of staff as the Hospital only has 2 pediatricians (doctors specializing in child health), 2 general practitioners (doctors who don’t perform invasive surgery), 12 nurses, and 30 beds with only 6 working incubators.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

The Cameroon Human Rights Commission (CHRC) has urged the government of Cameroon to include the study of braille as a subject in schools across the nation.

In a nine-page document made public on January 2, in prelude to World Braille Day which is observed every year on January 4, the Commission expressed concern about several challenges faced by visually impaired persons in Cameroon.

Braille is a system of reading for blind or visually impaired people, consisting of a series of raised dots that are felt with the fingertips. It is named after Louis Braille who invented the method.

Some of the challenges faced by the blind or visually impaired in Cameroon include stereotypes by some parents who leave children with this disability in private centers with no follow-up; few teachers in mainstream schools with a knowledge of braille; lack of textbooks or documents in braille and no consideration given to the visually impaired on things such as pharmaceutical products.

The CHRC therefore urges the Ministries of
Basic, Secondary, and Higher Education; as well as vocational training centers, to include braille as an optional subject in school curricula to help blind people easily integrate into mainstream society.

According to Orbis (an international NGO that specializes in the treatment of preventable blindness), it is estimated that nearly 250,000 people in Cameroon suffer from blindness and 600,000 suffer from vision loss with cataracts contributing nearly half of all cases of blindness. There is a lack of skilled eye care professionals, infrastructure, and equipment to adequately address these needs.

The Cameroonian Society Of Ophthalmology (CSO) reports that it has only 61 surgeons in Cameroon with a population of 24 million people.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Amid the conflict that started in 2016, health personnel have faced tremendous persecution in line with their duties, but they have never given up fighting to save lives. Though the Konye District Hospital operates in the unrest in Meme Division, the South West region, the staff have braved the odds to keep to their Hippocratic oath, even after suffering a four-year closure.

The Chief of the Health District in Konye, Dr Nzozone Henry, summarised this ordeal by saying that ‘Konye is a highly insecure zone yet over the past 3 years these staffs have put in their last sweat and blood to ensure the people of Konye receive quality healthcare which is a fundamental human right.’

On December 22, 2023, the efforts of the Konye District Health Services Staff were compensated in a prize award ceremony that brought together, traditional rulers, South West regional health officials, administrative and security officers.

The Chief of the Health District in Konye, Dr. Nzozone Henry, revealed that the hospital had been
in ruins with equipment stolen, and when they reopened in April 2021, they realized there was nothing left to operate with but with concerted efforts, there was a massive turnaround with positive advocacy targetting Government institutions, Councils, NGOs, and well-wishers. ‘In June 2021, we secured the donation of an Ultra Modern Autoclave and Oxygen concentrator by the ISLAMIC BANK. In June 2021, we secured material donations from the Konye Municipal Council to 8 facilities in the district worth 35 million FCFA. July 2023 we Installed a solar power system to provide lighting to the Konye District hospital and power all laboratory equipment.’ He revealed.

Donations also came from the South West Regional Assembly, GAVI, Ministry of Public Health, CERAC Women, and UNICEF among others.

The Staff used this equipment and support and changed the status of the hospital from ruins to life!

These achievements are the main reasons why the Staff of the Konye District Hospital were awarded prizes for the swift transf
ormation of the health institution.

‘Recognizing and rewarding the efforts of our staff is essential for maintaining motivation and morale. By presenting these price awards, we aim to show our appreciation for their hard work and dedication. This recognition will not only encourage our staff to continue striving for excellence but also serve as an inspiration to others in the community. Moreover, acknowledging the achievements of our staff helps to strengthen the bond between the health services and the community. By showcasing the positive impact of their work, we can foster a sense of pride and unity, which is crucial for the continued success of our healthcare services.’ The Chief of the Health District in Konye emphasized.

Categories

Neatest health facility

Best facility in timeliness and completeness of reports

Most proactive facility in universal health coverage

Facility with best data quality for malaria

Best chief of center

Facility with best data quality for EPI

Certificate of recognition

M
ost dedicated community health worker

Most punctual staff District Hospital Konye

Most dedicated staff District Hospital Konye

Best behaved staff District Hospital Konye

Most hardworking staff District Hospital Konye

Best health area chairman

Best focal point communication

While thanking the administration, traditional rulers, the Council, and well-wishers, the Chief of the Health District paid a special tribute to the Staff, adding ‘Let us also look forward to the future and the continued growth of our healthcare services. Together, we can ensure that the people of Konye District receive the best possible care, now and in the years to come.’

Future projects include:

Enroll all targets for Universal health coverage in Konye and further ensure they benefit from all the packages put in place by the State.

Advocate for the improvement of human resources, more doctors, more nurses, more midwives

Invest in the training and development of our staff to ensure they have the necessary skills and knowledge t
o deliver the best possible care.

Advocate for more bikes to cover all remaining 9-health facilities

Advocate for infrastructural maintenance of all health facilities

Advocate for solar power installations for all health facilities

Continuing to collaborate with local and international partners to access the latest medical advancements and technologies.
Source: Cameroon News Agency

As the country pushes to improve and strengthen primary healthcare as the backbone of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), the nurses’ fraternity has complained of being sidelined. The nurses under their umbrella, Kenya Progressive Nurses Association (KPNA), said they have been totally left out of the discussions and debate revolving around primary healthcare despite being their line duties in delivery of healthcare at the grassroots. KPNA President Michael Nyongesa said their contribution should not be ignored in the realization of UHC given their knowledge, competence and expertise as well as leadership. ‘Nurses have been trained on community health and as such primary healthcare and universal health coverage cannot be successful without their involvement,’ Nyongesa said. Speaking on Tuesday during the association’s three-day annual scientific conference being held in Embu, Nyongesa said they are the go between the patients and doctors and so their role cannot be wished away. He said they must be part and parcel of every discussion around healthcare provision at the grassroots for better health outcomes by placing more emphasis on preventive interventions such as screening, counselling and precautionary medications which are their duties. The president said that reports from community health workers and referrals essentially end up at the hands of nurses who coordinate care in collaboration with health care professionals. ‘What we need clarity on is why we are not involved yet whenever medical reports of patients are needed we are the ones called upon to do so,’ he said. Nyongesa said the devolving of healthcare to counties only served to weaken healthcare delivery as the majority of counties lack resources and capacity to handle the sector. ‘It is during devolution that we have witnessed rampant delays in payment of salaries, lack of promotion and skewed employment that has given rise to a state of despondency within the nursing fraternity,’ he said. He called on the Council of Governors (CoG) to take up the issues to streamline healthcare provision across all the counties. Embu Deputy Governor Kinyua Mugo who was the main guest at the conference, said they had initiated talks with healthcare workers to improve their working conditions. He said they are currently addressing the issue of shortage of nurses whereby they recently employed 75 nurses and are looking forward to double that number before the close of the current financial year. He also announced they had opened discussions with the workers with a view of putting those on contract on permanent employment.

Source: Kenya News Agency