Marthina Mutanga
THE 72-year-old Lucy Jooste from Walvis Bay needs an urgent hip replacement to release her from the severe pain she has been experiencing for the past nine months.
Lucy broke her hip on 5 June 2020 when she fell on a staircase.
She said that she was taken to the Walvis Bay State Hospital from where she was referred to Windhoek.
“The ambulance driver dropped us off at the Katutura State Hospital because he was in a hurry. I was admitted there and stayed in the hospital for about a week while waiting to be transferred to the Windhoek Central Hospital where the surgery was going to be performed,” she said.
Jooste said while she was in the hospital, she was mistreated and did not receive any help. At one stage she decided to go back to Walvis Bay.
“They did not help, bath me or assist me all while I was unable to walk to the bathroom. I was laying there in bed and started to smell. I did not have a doctor to look at my situation. I could not even eat because there was no food and the toilet was so far. I decided to go out and be at home,” said Jooste.
The only assistance she can currently rely on is the help that her husband, also a pensioner, can render for the rest she relies on strong pain medication to make it through each day.
“We are both living on our pensions and cannot afford to have the operation done to reset my broken hip. When I broke my hip last June,” she said.
Jooste said she does not know what else to do. She said that she even saw an orthopaedic specialist in Windhoek who told her that it would cost N$800 000 to have the proper surgery done that would free her of excruciating pain and enable her to walk again.
“Ever since we visited the doctor, we have been going back to the hospital for the scheduled check-ups, but I did not receive any help other than that. I don’t know what else to do,” she said.
There have been cases of patients complaining about mistreatment at the Katutura Hospital. People also complained that there is no oxygen available that would enable patients to undergo surgical procedures.
The Executive Director in the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Ben Nangombe said there was indeed a shortage of oxygen that the situation has been rectified for the past two weeks.
“No surgical procedures were cancelled and theatres are operational since the 22nd of February 2021,” he said.
Nangombe said that Katutura State Hospital only has old infrastructure.
He admitted that some walls, partitions, and woodwork are damaged. This attracts various pests, despite ongoing efforts to ensure cleanliness and hygiene. Fumigation is being carried out periodically. However, in some area’s problems persist.
“We cannot close down the entire hospital due to the fact that the hospital is providing services to the members of the public,” Nangombe said.
