Doctors plead with public to adhere to virus guidelines
With an average of 1 000 positive Covid-19 cases recorded daily, overwhelmed health professionals have called on Namibians to assist them by adhering to the Covid-19 regulations, saying hospitals should be the last resort.
In an interview with Nampa recently, Dr Fatima Nakale , who is stationed at one of the two Covid-19 testing centres in Windhoek, explained that all the deaths are traumatizing – even for health professionals.
“Namibia is experiencing its third Covid-19 wave and it is a serious one. Many people are infected and are very sick and dying. On a daily basis we have to lose someone, even at the level of a clinic, which is really traumatising to health professionals as well,” she said.
Nakale said the devastating pandemic has thrown lives and livelihoods into disarray, adding that hospitals should be the last resort for those infected because the health system is overstretched and the only way the public can assist the system is by adhering to the guidelines.
Another health professional who is employed at a private hospital, and who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the situation has escalated so much that even people with world-class medical options cannot get admission to most private hospitals as they are full to capacity.
“It is sad to turn away a patient who needs oxygen and a hospital bed. However, due to the hospitals being full, there is nothing a doctor can do,” he indicated.
Equally, two doctors working for state hospitals in Rehoboth and Keetmanshoop described Covid-19 as distressing, saying people are dying every day due to lack of oxygen. All oxygen points are occupied and people will wait up to six hours, or sometimes even longer, in casualty departments.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Health and Social Services executive director Ben Nangombe recently indicated that the government is working hard to ensure that hospitals are capacitated with sufficient oxygen as the demand increases daily and the existing oxygen supply was built according to the specifications of oxygen demand at that point in time. However, Nangombe also called on Namibians to assist government by observing preventative measures, which include wearing masks, observing social distancing and avoiding crowds.
Namibia’s active cases on Monday stood at 14 092 of which 516 people were hospitalised, with 90 patients in intensive care units and 1 179 deaths recorded. Cumulatively, 104 530 first doses and 19 930 second doses of Covid-19 vaccines were administered by Monday.