07/10/2024
The issues raised in my article are not isolated incidents, and my experience with the Mariental State Hospital only reinforces the larger problems we are facing in our public healthcare system. I recently needed to have a tooth removed, but an x-ray was required first. I arrived at the hospital early, around 08h00, and waited for almost two hours before leaving. When I returned later in the afternoon, the same people were still waiting, and the doctor still hadn’t shown up. Finally, at 16h00, the doctor arrived, only for us to be informed through another staff member that he would only see casualties.
People in severe pain had traveled long distances from places like Amper-Bo, Kries, and Uibes, only to be told they wouldn't be attended to. Some had no choice but to make arrangements to stay overnight or return home, still suffering, without even being seen.
It took another week before I was scheduled for an x-ray, but to my dismay, the radiology machine at Mariental State Hospital hadn’t been functional for over two years. This meant waiting yet another week for the patient bus to take me to Aranos, roughly 140km away, just to get the x-ray done. By the time I finally had the tooth removed back in Mariental, I was emotionally drained and physically weakened, perhaps from the medication I’d taken over the course of those three weeks. This is how people suffer in silence, enduring pain while waiting for relief that may never come. And we call this “service delivery.”
What’s more troubling is the attitude of some of the doctors, many of whom come from abroad. These doctors seem indifferent to the wellbeing of their patients, as reflected in their work habits—working 8-hour days yet often arriving only in the late afternoon.
In the end, someone must take responsibility for these failings. I believe that finger should be pointed directly at the leadership, because without accountability at the top, the system will continue to fail the people it’s meant to serve.
Ministry of Health and Social Services-Namibia Office of the Hardap Governor Office of the Ombudsman Namibia The Namibian Informanté
