Patients at Omuthiya District Hospital in the Oshikoto Region have raised concerns about the lack of dental medication. Patients have reportedly been sent back home as a result.

Dental patients at Omuthiya District Hospital were allegedly sent back home due to a lack of lignocaine, a dental medication that has been out of stock at the hospital for the past three weeks.

Lignocaine is a dental medication used to numb the tooth before extraction.

The lack of medication reportedly applies to other towns and hospitals such as Onandjokwe, Oshakati, Engela, Eenhana, Okongo, Ohangwena, and Katutura hospitals. 

Wooden spatulas that are used to examine patients are also reportedly out of stock at Onandjokwe Hospital.

Some patients, including those who suffer from chronic health conditions such as hypertension, told NBC News there is no medication when they go to the hospital for follow-ups at Omuthiya Hospital, describing it as a crisis.

"We do not feel good that some medication is out of stock at the hospital, with the elderly being the most affected. We also have a challenge with the snail-paced service delivery. We travel from far, getting here in the morning and only being assisted after lunch at 14h00. We are forced to sleep in town because by the time we are done here, the taxis are already gone, and we do not have accommodation here," says Hilia Daniel.

Petrus Israel adds, "I call upon our government to procure the outstanding dental equipment so fellow patients can be treated."

"This does not sit right with us, especially with the lack of hypertension medication. "When it is out of stock, we are advised to buy from private pharmacies, and we cannot afford it," expressed Elizabeth Ndipopilwa.

Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) Executive Director Penda Ithindi says the ministry will be providing monthly updates on the pharmaceutical status of the country to ensure the public remains informed on pharmaceutical and clinical product deliveries.

This, he says, includes measures being implemented to stabilise stock service levels across healthcare facilities until stock levels reach a minimum of 80% of the needs, which currently stands at an estimated 60%. 

The MoHSS indicated in a media statement released two weeks ago that several essential products are understocked or out of stock.

The statement further states that some pharmaceutical and clinical supplies were received at the Central Medical Stores (CMS) between 27 April and 15 May this year.

Omuthiya Hospital was established in 2012 with a catchment population of over one hundred and seventeen thousand people.