The Onandjokwe Endoscopic Outreach service will soon be known as the Professor Fillemon Amaambo Endoscopic Tour.

The programme was established in 2022 to reduce waiting time for patients requiring endoscopies at Engela District Hospital.

The outreach programme offers free services as part of the Ministry of Health and Social Services' commitment.

It is carried out by a team of 20 professionals, mainly nurses, specialists, medical officers, medical interns, doctors and medical suppliers.

The outreach programme is conducted twice a year, and the first one for this year was in June, which targeted district hospitals.

The second one started on October 6th, covering Omuthiya, Tsumeb, Okongo, Eenhana, and Engela.

"An endoscopy is an investigation that allows us to investigate and to have a look at the internal organs, especially the intestines, and we can then diagnose things like cancer of the intestines, infections, wounds in the intestines, the presence of worms and foreign bodies. This year is very special because we are going to rename this outreach after Professor Fillemon Amaambo because of the contribution that he has made over the decades in establishing this service at Onandjokwe Intermediate Hospital," said Dr. Akutu Munyika, Specialist Surgeon at Onandjokwe Hospital.

Dr. Munyika said the majority of the patients requiring endoscopy are either referred to Oshakati or Onandjokwe.

"In Omuthiya, we scoped about 34 patients; in Tsumeb, it was already close to 40. Okongo was the highest number, where we scoped 61 patients, and in Eenhana, we scoped 27 patients, and today we are busy scoping about 52 patients. It is reaching our expectations; the patients are very happy because it cuts down the distance and the waiting time, and we are bringing the service to the community."

The outreach service delivers specialised service, capacitates district hospitals, provides training and skills transfer and creates a platform for research.