By Joe-Chintha Garises
KEETMANSHOOP, July 30 -– The Kidney Dialysis Specialist Centre will make it easier for patience from the southern regions to access kidney and dialysis treatment.
The centre that started in Windhoek has now opened branches in different regions of the country including the //Kharas region.
The centre which is headed by Dr Glanda Kalunga was opened by Minister of Health and Social Services Kalumbi Shangula on 29 July 2022 in Keetmanshoop.
Dr Kalunga a Nephrologist and Physician said the need to decentralize kidney and dialysis is because of demand all over the country.
“It is challenging for patients to get treatment when the centre is only found in Windhoek and some people miss out on sessions due to travelling costs,” Kalunga said.
“We collaborate with the private sector as we always do while also aggressively investing in the public health sector to ensure that our goal of access to health care is realised.
“Collaborating with the private sector can take many forms which include, but are not limited to facilitating the set-up of facilities such as the one we are commissioning here today,” she said.
Sometimes, collaboration can mean leveraging expertise in the private sector with specialised knowledge in specific fields, for the betterment of Namibians, Kalunga said.
“When you think of it, health care is a concern for all. It is never the prerogative of government alone. A healthy nation is a productive nation which benefits everyone.
“The private sector needs healthy workers as well as consumers of their products while governments require healthy employees and healthy citizenry,” Shangula said.
He said goal number 3 of the third pillar of the Harambee Prosperity Plan II makes references to access to health care.
Maxwell Cloete, the son of one of the dialysis patients Nico Cloete gave testimony of how grateful they are that a centre has been opened in Keetmanshoop.
“We are able to have our father and husband with us on a daily basis as not so long ago we only had the privilege to see him at weekends as he had to travel to Windhoek for more than two years on a weekly basis to receive dialysis treatment,” said Maxwell Cloete.
“My father used to travel 1 200km weekly and for the month an estimate of 6 000km. My father was diagnosed with End Stage Kidney Disease. He started haemodialysis on 25 May 2019.
“He is on Chronic Intermittent Haemodialysis treatment that needs to be administered two times a week for four hours each and this for us the family, it was very challenging,” he said.
The centre currently has 11 patients and caters for both private and public patients. The aim is to bring kidney care, create awareness, offer care, prevent kidney diseases and offer kidney screening.
