Aus clinic running on empty

The government clinic at Aus in the ||Kharas region is facing severe chronic medicine shortages and lacks a dedicated ambulance to transport emergency patients.

The settlement is located 110km from Keetmanshoop and 120km from Lüderitz.

A resident of Aus, Berend Christian (52), says the clinic’s pharmacy has no diabetes, high blood pressure or asthma medication in stock, among others.

He says at times he has gone without medication as it is too costly to buy at private pharmacies.

“On the advice of the pharmacy you are told to go back to the doctor and have him/her prescribe alternatives. You go back to sit in the queue and wait your turn for a doctor again.

“When you eventually get to the doctor and he gives you another prescription and you go back to the pharmacy, you will be told there is no stock.

“I had to go without the medicine as the private pharmacy would cost me N$2 756.67,” Langa says.

He says he is a state patient with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes and is also recovering from a spinal surgery.

Langa says since his surgery two years ago, he has experienced medicine shortages at Windhoek Central Hospital, Lüderitz District Hospital, Keetmanshoop State Hospital and the clinic at Aus.

He questions why the government cannot reach an agreement with private pharmacies to subsidise medicine for state patients who mostly end up buying medicine from private pharmacies.

“I had a spinal operation in June 2025 and was prescribed a walking frame by the doctors at Windhoek Central Hospital, but until today there is still no stock,” he says.

Elizabeth |Khaxas (69) says she has sent her grandchildren multiple times to fetch high blood pressure and asthma medicine for her, with no luck.

“I cannot walk up and down so much due to the asthma that makes me short of breath. But my grandchildren will come back empty-handed. Does the government not plan, or are they not aware of what is happening at Aus clinic?” she asks.

|Khaxas says the medicine shortage seems to be at its worst between April and July.

“There are other times, like now, when cortisone is available. I got a prescription yesterday, but most of the time our children must make a plan to get us medicine,” she says.

Bahnhof Hotel owner Berend Roemer says the Ministry of Health and Social Services needs to get its transport fleet in order.

He says Aus clinic used to have an ambulance, which was donated in 2016, but the ambulance has been “gone” for the past year and a half.

He says when accidents happen on the Aus-to-Lüderitz or Keetmanshoop road, his company provides transport for the injured.

“I’ve lived here for 16 years, and in all these years we have helped. There are times when we have to fetch the nurse and the police officer to take them to the scene.

“The police never have tyres, or there is just no vehicle availabe,” Roemer says.

AMBULANCE AT LüDERITZ

||Kharas health director Sandra Owoses acknowledges that it is possible that there were periods over the past two years Aus clinic faced chronic medicine shortages, as this was experienced countrywide.

Owoses says the ministry provides regions with the finances on a monthly basis to buy medicines that are not available from the Central Medical Stores from private facilities.

“Last month, we bought medicine for up to N$2 million, and then we distributed to the various health facilities. Perhaps there are delays in delivery from district hospitals to smaller facilities,” she says.

Owoses says Aus clinic’s ambulance is being used at Lüderitz hospital after a community meeting was held that confirmed the need for an ambulance was higher at Lüderitz.

“However, there is a bakkie that Lüderitz provides to serve the patients of Aus for follow-ups as casualties are low with them,” the director says.

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