Musese’s health facility in Kavango West faces a persistent challenge: there is no permanent doctor on staff, leaving the centre to depend on visiting physicians who come only once a week.
According to Chrispinus Kanyengo, a registered nurse and acting nurse in charge, the centre relies on doctors who travel from other towns, typically arriving on Wednesdays. He notes that many arrive late and fatigued from duties at other clinics, which then compromises the standard of care delivered to patients.
On days when visiting doctors are present, queues can swell to between 80 and 96 patients. The health centre serves roughly 12,850 residents but operates with scarce resources. The maternity ward, for instance, has just two beds, forcing staff to place postnatal patients in general wards.
“There’s a clear need for a dedicated maternity unit and dedicated staff so mothers can receive private, safe care,” Kanyengo explains. A new maternity building that is currently under construction is expected to relieve some of the space constraints once it’s completed.
Beyond staffing and space, the centre grapples with multiple infrastructure hurdles. It has no ambulance, and its backup generator is broken, leaving the facility vulnerable during power outages. There is no landline, so staff rely on cellphones for communication.
Housing for staff is inadequate as well, with only three residences available; some nurses resort to renting housing in the surrounding community.
The doctor post at the centre exists on paper, but recruitment and budgeting delays have prevented filling the position. “If the resources were available, the post could be filled. The issues are budgeting and human resources,” Kanyengo says.
He urges the government to appoint a permanent doctor, ensure the human resources budget meets the facility’s needs, repair or replace the generator, provide patient-referral transport, and prioritize staffing for the new maternity unit when it opens.
While the staff complement has improved recently, Kanyengo warns that the centre will continue to rely on outreach visits without a permanent doctor, undermining continuity of care.
Fransiska Hamutenya, the Kavango West regional health director, has acknowledged the problem and points to human resource and budget constraints as the primary obstacles.
– Nampa
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