Namibia: 'We Die While Waiting for an Ambulance'

The San community in Bwabwata National Park is outraged after three members of their community died while waiting for ambulance services. In a recent incident on 17 and 18 August, three men were involved in a road accident on the Trans-Zambezi Highway. One victim, aged 90, died while waiting for an ambulance, while a 23-year-old man and a 19-year-old boy were treated for their injuries at Katima Mulilo District Hospital.

Their families have been left waiting for hours in critical conditions. The community development committee chairperson Kiepie Herman stated that the pensioner died five hours after the accident, the young man waited five hours, and the boy waited for two hours for an ambulance to arrive. Herman emphasized that the lack of ambulances is ultimately costing lives in the community.

He called for a dedicated ambulance to be stationed at Cheto Clinic to ensure timely transportation of patients to the hospital. Kongola-based community activist Glen Shebo stressed the serious public health concern posed by the lack of ambulances in the Kongola constituency, which is home to four clinics but none with a dedicated ambulance.

He urged the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Zambezi Regional Council to urgently address the ambulance coverage issue in Kongola. The Ministry of Health and Social Services confirmed that Cheto Clinic has a 4x4 vehicle, currently being repaired, and apologized for the delay in ambulance response. Police have launched investigations into the three cases of culpable homicide and reckless or negligent driving, with the incident involving a pensioner and a 23-year-old male.

Authorities urge drivers to stop at accident scenes and provide assistance or report themselves to the nearest police station.