The race to fight malnutrition in Ohangwena
18 deaths this year
Ndeitunga said his office is working closely with the regional health directorate to monitor those suffering from malnutrition to make sure they are on the road to recovery.
The Ohangwena Region’s most pressing health crisis is malnutrition, with the region having recorded a total of 94 deaths since 2022.
Of this number, 18 deaths were recorded this year alone.
The damning figures were announced by governor Sebastian Ndeitunga, who told Namibian Sun last week that, in the coming weeks, the region will roll out a World Food Programme initiative. It will be implemented in Ohangwena and the Kunene Region for six months, from October to March 2025.
Ndeitunga said while the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation last month handed over gardening tools and small-scale irrigation systems to a number of beneficiaries in the region, it will take time before this yields results to feed residents.
“These are all part of emergency response efforts to mitigate multiple shocks and enhance livelihoods in Namibia. I am worried about the numbers and we cannot have people dying of hunger in Namibia,” he said.
Ndeitunga added that his office is working closely with the regional health directorate to monitor those suffering from malnutrition who have been discharged from hospital to make sure that they are on the road to recovery and to prevent any further deaths. “It is our primary goal as a government to preserve lives. The governor’s office is also doing public education to avoid any further fatalities,” he said, adding that the school-feeding programme is a critical component in the fight against malnutrition.
Health ministry’s response
In response to the crisis, Ohangwena regional health director Robert Nandjila said the ministry has launched several key initiatives - which include public outreach programmes - in various constituencies in the region.
He said one of these programmes is a nutrition assessment and counselling services programme, which plays a crucial role in offering routine growth monitoring, food supplementation and breastfeeding promotion.
These campaigns have been rolled out at public facilities and hospitals as well as at constituency offices, he said.
Nandjila was at pains to provide exact figures of those currently receiving treatment for malnutrition, citing patient confidentiality. “We cannot reveal that information,” he said.
Healthcare workers said the ministry is also providing deworming and vitamin A supplementation during public outreach programmes, and has partnered with the poverty eradication ministry to tackle the multilayered issue of malnutrition.
Nandjila urged patients who have previously been admitted for malnutrition and still feel unwell to report back to their nearest hospital.
Of this number, 18 deaths were recorded this year alone.
The damning figures were announced by governor Sebastian Ndeitunga, who told Namibian Sun last week that, in the coming weeks, the region will roll out a World Food Programme initiative. It will be implemented in Ohangwena and the Kunene Region for six months, from October to March 2025.
Ndeitunga said while the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation last month handed over gardening tools and small-scale irrigation systems to a number of beneficiaries in the region, it will take time before this yields results to feed residents.
“These are all part of emergency response efforts to mitigate multiple shocks and enhance livelihoods in Namibia. I am worried about the numbers and we cannot have people dying of hunger in Namibia,” he said.
Ndeitunga added that his office is working closely with the regional health directorate to monitor those suffering from malnutrition who have been discharged from hospital to make sure that they are on the road to recovery and to prevent any further deaths. “It is our primary goal as a government to preserve lives. The governor’s office is also doing public education to avoid any further fatalities,” he said, adding that the school-feeding programme is a critical component in the fight against malnutrition.
Health ministry’s response
In response to the crisis, Ohangwena regional health director Robert Nandjila said the ministry has launched several key initiatives - which include public outreach programmes - in various constituencies in the region.
He said one of these programmes is a nutrition assessment and counselling services programme, which plays a crucial role in offering routine growth monitoring, food supplementation and breastfeeding promotion.
These campaigns have been rolled out at public facilities and hospitals as well as at constituency offices, he said.
Nandjila was at pains to provide exact figures of those currently receiving treatment for malnutrition, citing patient confidentiality. “We cannot reveal that information,” he said.
Healthcare workers said the ministry is also providing deworming and vitamin A supplementation during public outreach programmes, and has partnered with the poverty eradication ministry to tackle the multilayered issue of malnutrition.
Nandjila urged patients who have previously been admitted for malnutrition and still feel unwell to report back to their nearest hospital.
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