Community members of Farm Julianne, in the Grootfontein Constituency, were overjoyed after the Ministry of Health and Social Services allocated a vehicle to the farm and its surrounding areas.

 Farm Julianne is situated about 77 kilometres northeast of Grootfontein, in the Otjozondjupa Region.

The distance makes it difficult for those residing at the farm and in the surroundings to travel to Grootfontein for healthcare services.

The vehicle will therefore assist the community in transporting patients to the nearest health centre and conducting outreach programmes.

This came after the community wrote a letter to the then Executive Director of Health, Ben Nangombe, requesting that the ministry allocate the community a vehicle.

Otjozondjupa Health Director Gebhard Timotheus said communities in the area have been grappling with a number of systemic barriers to access healthcare services due to a lack of transport.

 "The community charged that, by the time they wrote this letter, four deaths of children under age five had been reported there. Two reportedly died at home while waiting to be transported to the hospital at Grootfontein, while the other was confirmed as a neonatal death. They further indicated that during the same period, 45 cases of missed opportunities were recorded, defined as where children missed out on their immunisation because outreach services were not conducted."

Timotheus added that while the vehicle is not an ambulance, it brought relief.

"I believe that it will bring a positive health impact to the community, preventing loss of life and improving the health outcome of the community and the surrounding farms. This vehicle is here to save you. Please be on the lookout. If you find someone misusing this vehicle, report him or her to the police. This vehicle is to save you, and that's why I brought it here to you, because you have been suffering."

A community health worker at the farm, Petrus Haramse, applauded the ministry for responding to their request. 

"We just want to say, with this vehicle that we have received, I believe that many of our community health problems will improve through transportation."

Also expressing appreciation on behalf of the community was elder Theophehus Uahongora, who said, "Provision of this vehicle is one of those important gestures in order to prevent unnecessary death. Thank you, once again. Thank you very much."