Mankumpi — Community leaders at Mururani in Mankumpi constituency, Kavango West region, have called for a fully fledged health centre, saying residents are being left without adequate healthcare while an abandoned container serves only as an occasional mobile clinic.
Community representative Eunike Sem said the mobile clinic has been idle for about six years and is used mainly as a base for occasional outreach services.
She said expectant mothers, children, prisoners, farmers and elderly residents are currently taken to Katjinakatji or Mangetti clinics, and in many cases later referred to Rundu.
"Sometimes, only the police can help them reach the nearest clinic.
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If there is no vehicle, mothers and elderly people have to wait, and by the time they find transport, it is already late. Residents must find money to pay for transport to Katjinakatji or Mangetti. If they do not have it, they borrow or wait for someone travelling that way," she said.
Mururani village headman Namufinda Sikongo said long distances and transport costs are causing people to delay seeking medical care.
"People are suffering because help is far away. We need nurses based here, not outreach services that come and go," he said.
Sikongo also suggested that Mururani should serve as a health hub for surrounding settlements, saying this would ease pressure on Katjinakatji, Mangetti and Mpora.
Mankumpi Constituency councillor Lukas Muha said discussions with health authorities have not produced progress, despite several letters and meetings.
"The inhabitants of Mururani and surrounding villages are enduring hardship, and the sooner we act, the better," he said, calling for health centres at Mururani and Satotwa, permanent nurses at Mururani, and the upgrading of the Katjinakatji clinic.
"We shall continue making submissions regarding this matter," he said.
Kavango West Regional Health Director Fransiska Hamutenya said the container was donated by the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) Foundation to decentralise antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence services as a temporary outreach point known as Community-Based Antiretroviral Therapy (CBART).
"The CBART was meant for outreach purposes and therefore does not have a permanent staffing structure," she said, citing transport breakdowns, staffing constraints and accommodation challenges.
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She added that the directorate plans to repurpose CBARTs into health posts with dedicated staff and logistics, although exact timelines cannot yet be determined.
-Nampa
