‘Early detection of disease saves lives’

EARLY DETECTION CRUCIAL … Deputy minister of health and social services Ester Muinjangue (fourth left), Vertice Namibia’s executive director, Verona du Preez (second left) and CEO Charine Glen-Spyron (third right). They are joined by Vertice staff members at the launch of the LTE mobile clinic.

Early detection can assist in addressing the spread of communicable diseases and those related to lifestyle, and more importantly, it saves lives.

This was said by the deputy minister of health and social services, Ester Muinjangue, when she officially launched the N$2,4-million LTE Medical Solutions mobile X-ray clinic in Windhoek yesterday.

She said mobile clinics represent an untapped resource for the country’s healthcare system – especially for displaced or isolated individuals.

“In most cases, people do not know how seriously sick they are, and so avoid making the long trip to the local clinic until it is too late,” she said.

Muinjangue said mobile clinics also fill gaps in the healthcare safety net by reaching socio-economically underserved populations in both urban and rural areas.

“There is increasing evidence of the unique value of this highly adaptable model of care, as it is designed to provide top-notch radiology services to people, including those living in remote areas, underserved communities, and those affected by lung diseases,” she said.

The deputy minister said the clinic is furnished with cutting-edge radiology equipment, and artificial intelligence for reading all CXRs and Lynx/HCF software for data management, monitoring and evaluation, and for the creation of a single electronic medical record.

This enables the LTE mobile X-ray clinic to deliver personalised services to everyone who needs them, regardless of their location or financial status, she said.

Muinjangue said mobile clinics can ensure that more people have primary and diagnostic healthcare brought closer to their homes.

“The convenience of a mobile unit to be at any location ensures no citizen is left without access to healthcare,” Muinjangue said.

She said mobile clinics are subject to the same regulations of compliance and quality assurance as hospitals and clinics. This ensures that patients receive the same level of quality care from medical practitioners.

“Firstly, these units can be shared by multiple communities, thereby also sharing costs. Secondly, they bring healthcare to those who need it, even those in remote/rural areas,” the deputy minister said.

Andries Venter, the co-founder of LTE Medical Solutions, a subsidiary of Vertice Namibia, said the mobile clinic has the capacity to take up to 120 chest X-ray images a day, and will be deployed to communities, including mines.

He said the company is a professional services provider to the medical industry serving both the public and private sectors, with particular focus on mobile and alternative healthcare facilities, radiology services, medical equipment and integrated healthcare software solutions.

“We supply and maintain medical equipment, radiology solutions and mobile healthcare facilities offering turnkey solutions to our clients,” he said.

Venter said their clients include a number of United Nations agencies, as well as the World Bank and the Global Fund.
“We operate in a number of countries, including most Southern Africa Development Community countries,” he said.
– email: matthew@namibian.com.na

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