Majority of ambulances out of order
The country is facing an alarming shortage of ambulances, with almost 170 of its 267 ambulances out of service, leaving many Namibians without immediate access to healthcare.The remaining ambulances are either on bricks, in a dilapidated condition, written off due to accidents, or undergoing extensive maintenance work.
This state of affairs raises serious concerns about the country's ability to meet the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recommended ratio of one ambulance per 100 000 people for timely medical assistance in emergencies.
In response, the executive director of health and social services Ben Nangombe said they were forced to reclassify ambulances as medical equipment rather than vehicles due to a recent moratorium on the procurement of government vehicles. "We have 267 ambulances, but a large number have been written off in accidents and others are in for maintenance.
“The situation is critical and drastically affects the ministry's work, because people have to travel long distances if they cannot access facilities. This also means that the facilities cannot refer them to other hospitals for specialized services if there is no ambulance. We have requested that ambulances are not classified as vehicles, but as medical equipment. We have managed to secure 20 for this financial year,” he said.
Dire situation
According to the health ministry's spokesperson, Walters Kamaya, Engela in the Ohangwena region used to have five ambulances, but only two are currently operational while at Eenhana there are only two working ambulances, with one out of order. He added that although the Okondo Health Facility has three ambulances in working order, the vehicles are not reliable in critical emergencies as they are old and have logged over 300 000 kilometers.
"Ambulances are used daily to transport patients to intermediate hospitals such as those on Oshakati or Onandjokwe. We sometimes deploy them where there is an urgent need. Okongo, our farthest district, is about 170 km from Onandjokwe and about 200 km from Oshakati. One round trip basically doubles these distances. External ambulance support is rare because our districts prioritise more urgent problems. The current situation in Engela, with only two functioning ambulances, is very worrying."
Anna Jonas, the health director in the Erongo region, shared their dilemma in delivering health services to the people, saying they have lost three ambulances in accidents over the last three years, and moreover, ambulances are old and therefore they have to shared between districts and clinics.
The Omusati region has only 18 ambulances on its master list, of which eight are in running condition, five are undergoing repairs, four are parked after accidents and one is out of order.
According to the ministry, the Oshana region has 12 ambulances of which nine are running, one has been written off and two are currently in disuse. Three of the rest serve the entire region's health centres and clinics while six are prioritised for Oshakati Hospital.
The ||Kharas region's vehicle register for October 2023 shows that the region has 96 ambulances of which 32 are in running condition, four have been written off, 49 need repairs and three have been damaged in accidents.
The ministry said Kavango West has 10 ambulances on its master list, of which only four are in working order. "Five are not working due to mechanical problems, and one is old and needs to be renovated. The impact is delayed responses to emergencies, especially due to the fact that the region is very vast and the road conditions are not favourable,” said Kamaya.