Ester Mbathera
Public hospitals are struggling with the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare delivery due to unreturned medical equipment, including wheelchairs, crutches, and other assistive devices, as well as technological products such as prostheses, hearing aids, and visual aids.
Walter Kamaya, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MHSS), pointed out that the failure to return loaned medical equipment is hampering service provision in public hospitals, particularly within the occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and medical rehabilitation departments.
“The personal mobility of clients who require wheelchairs has been greatly impacted due to the shortage of wheelchairs in the country. This not only affects their access to health but also their quality of life. Secondary complications do develop as a result,” he said.
Kamaya explained that when a patient’s condition deteriorates due to a lack of wheelchairs, other facilities or service providers typically receive referrals.
“It’s therefore difficult to conclusively determine the outcomes thereafter, but one cannot rule out the possibility of further secondary complications if the patient remains without assistance,” said Kamaya.
He went on to explain that the hospital and the client sign a contract when they issue a wheelchair, crutches, or other equipment to encourage patients to return it.
This contract outlines the client’s responsibility to care for the equipment and return it when it is no longer needed.
“No wheelchair is issued without this contract being signed, and security officers are also instructed to ensure that no wheelchair leaves the hospital premises without this mentioned contract,” Kamaya emphasised.
Kamaya could not quantify the cost of unreturned wheelchairs, stating that such an endeavour is complicated and would necessitate a survey or research.
According to him, the ministry has an approximate combined budget of approximately N$25 million allocated for the procurement of wheelchairs and other assistive technology products for the 14 regions.
Kamaya also attributed the shortage of wheelchairs to prolonged procurement procedures and rising demand throughout the country.
“Currently, for the public sector, wheelchairs are imported from South Africa as our country does not manufacture wheelchairs, and this situation affects the timely delivery of wheelchairs to patients in need,” he said.
To ensure accountability by both MHSS employees and patients, Kamaya explained that the ministry conducts meetings and workshops where various hospital departments share experiences and best practices.
“The preparation of statistics typically relies on the available indicators developed as part of the Health Information System (HIS). Therefore, our data is usually collected based on Health Information System (HIS) indicators. This is why it may be challenging to provide certain types of data not covered by the HIS, which would require separate surveys or research efforts,” he said.
