The recent cancellation of the N$650 million clinical supply tender of the Ministry of Health and Social Services has negatively impacted the supply of medicines, beds, and equipment in state hospitals and clinics. 

The Minister of Health and Social Service Dr. Kalumbi Shangula said this during a visit to health facilities in the Otjozondjupa Region this week, following concerns of shortages of supplies.

A visit to health facilities in the region revealed common complaints by medical staff.

Acting Senior Medical Officer at Okakarara Hospital, Dr, Jerome Kangolo said the essential challenges at the hospital are a lack of adequate BP monitors, suction machines, phototherapy machines, ECG, defibrillators, weighing scales, oxygen flow meters, pulse odometers, lack of surgical instruments, lack of enough hospital beds and mattresses, no cot beds for pediatric ward, main theater bed malfunctioning and no bed in the minor theater."

The Health Minister Dr. Kalumbi Shangula explained that the cancellation of the N$650 million tender this year has somewhat disabled the ministry.

"We don't still have the BP monitors, they are canceled together with that tender, you don't have a suction machine, there are there in that tender. Now the tender is starting afresh. So it's when you have a system that undermines itself, you will not make progress but it's also the public who lacks knowledge and they need to understand how things work. We do not need to act impulsively but act informedly that you have correctly informed and know the consequences of actions you take for the patients in the hospitals."

Dr. Shangula, however, noted that the ministry has restarted the tender process. 

"There is light at the end of the tunnel. We have gone up with a program for the procurement of clinical items and pharmaceuticals for four months. This is like interim gap measures so when you are going to June and July there, at least we will not have any problems with the supply whether it's clinical or pharmaceutical or medicine, so there is that hope and again the Central Procurement Board has agreed they will continue with the purchase for seven months until December 2023 and then the three-year contract program. So there is hope now for us to resolve all these problems of medical supplies, baby monitors among others." 

Some of the concerns raised are staff turnover, dilapidated buildings, and a lack of transport.