Steve Nashama
Health and Social Services Minister, Kalumbi Shangula, received a donation of medical equipment worth more than N$ 300,000 from the Support Ulm e.V., a non-profit organisation based in Ulm, Germany.
The donation is intended for the Opuwo District Hospital. Shangula welcomed the donation, saying it is a good addition to the existing equipment at the hospital. The donation, Shangula added, is specifically aimed at improving the Orthopedic Rehabilitation Centre.
“We are working together with the donor organisations. We sit with them and negotiate. They know the gap of what is needed in the Ministry. They have been supporting us, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic,” the Minister said.
Support Ulm e.V. was reportedly established by a group of medical doctors who have made it their mission to support medical projects throughout the world. They support various projects financially and with humanitarian aid.
Shangula explains that the ministry is providing health services for about 85 per cent of the population, especially people who do not have Medical Aid.
He says it is the responsibility of every Namibian to come forward and meet the government halfway.
The donation was handed over by Rudolf Coetzee, the General Administration Manager of Ohorongo Cement, to Health Deputy Minister, Esther Muinjangue, last month.
Coetzee expressed his excitement about the donation, confirming that since the establishment of the partnership with the ministry and Ohorongo Cement in 2009, they have spent more than N$ 75 million in supporting a number of social projects. Out of this, thanks to Support Ulm e.V., more than N$ 62 million was on medical supplies and equipment, including the current donation.
“This Private Public Partnership in the health sector serves to narrow the gap caused by resource constraints as well as improve access to quality health services,” he says.
Muinjangue described the donation as generous and added that it came at an opportune time as there is an increased number of patients with rehabilitation needs.
“Now that we shall have a state of art rehabilitation equipment unit, I wish to advise people with rehabilitation problems and needs, to make use of these facilities without fail,” she said.
“This is vital, not only in service delivery provision but also in prolonging the quality, the strengths and the lifespan of the individuals in our families and in our community.”she added.
According to Muinjangue, the rehabilitation equipment is important for aiding the disabled, and also for preserving good mobility, therefore it should be taken care of. Former Health Minister, Benhard Haufiku on his part said the donation is a way forward in addressing critical needs, adding that health sectors need medical equipment to improve service delivery.
“Namibians must learn to share. Those who have something must help the ones that do not have, and not only in healthcare sectors but in every spectrum of life,” he says.
