Court disputes put strain on healthcare system

The health ministry is crippled by an acute shortage of critical medicines, clinical supplies and assistive devices such as crutches and prosthetic limbs, a situation mainly caused by numerous court disputes.

Health minister Dr Kalumbi Shangula confirmed the situation to Namibian Sun this week, saying court challenges from some bidders who contested the outcomes of medical tenders have led to a subsequent halt in some procurement processes.

“I am not aware of that specific issue (prostate treatment), but we have a general shortage of medicines, clinical supplies, and assistive devices because tenders are not finalised due to court challenges by some bidders. The intermittent buy-outs do not last long. That is our problem,” he said.

In August, the ministry announced that cancer rates are on the rise among Namibians, placing additional strain on an already burdened healthcare system.

Cancer rates have risen by an average of 12% in recent years, with breast and cervical cancers being the most common.

Critical shortage

According to insiders in the health ministry, there is a significant demand for prostate cancer medication, which allegedly ran out over three months ago, and procurement has come to a standstill.

“There is an injection – Zoladex – which they give to patients with prostate and breast cancer. We have not had that medication for the last three months now. We have to send people home because of this. You have to pay up to N$1 000 just to get an injection at the pharmacy. The doctors are complaining about this, so the minister should know,” a medical doctor said.

The doctor added: “Patients just have to go back home. Imagine the people from the regions who are travelling with a state bus and get here, and there is no injection, and you have to wait for a week until the bus can go back home."

He added: "Both Windhoek Central and Katutura hospitals have no stock. Katutura had 300 doses, but we sent the central hospital patients there, so now it is also depleted. There is nothing in stock. I don’t even know why we should still go to work."

He said since about May, "we had to borrow from Katutura pharmacy and they are now out of stock also. The doctors are telling the patients that we are waiting, but we don’t know what we are waiting for.”

Patients ‘dying’

Another hospital worker source said: “Patients are dying because you can see when they do not return for the doses. Even medication for dermatology is out of stock; you cannot even get an eyedrop, or you wait until there is stock in the government stores."

The source, who declined to be named, added that it is getting out of hand with regards to cancer patients.

She added that in addition to problems with pharmaceutical stock, other problems frequently arise.

“If it is not medication, then the radiator machine is broken. It is fixed, and three days later it is broken. I don’t know why they don’t just buy a new machine. It is very depressing when people come here struggling with their lives and you cannot say a word because the ones on top do nothing."

She added: "This week a patient came travelling from the south and we were out of stock – now imagine that the patient has to pay for transport and go back again empty-handed. All the cancer patients have to come here for treatment. We now have morphine back in stock and adrenaline; I am not sure if they have it now."

Namibia Sun recently reported that adrenaline, antibiotics and morphine medications are also in short supply. Adrenaline is used for patients suffering from cardiac arrest and serious breathing problems, while morphine is primarily administered to cancer patients.

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