Service delivery above everything else

Service delivery above everything elseProviding medical care is a fundamental necessity in Namibia Nelson Makemba is a medical doctor who has his own practice. Wetumwene Shikage

Since May 2015, Makemba has run his medical practice with the primary aim of assisting those who require medical help. The responsibility of general practitioners is to assist in the ongoing health of their patients by preventing, diagnosing and managing common health conditions. An important aspect of their work is making referrals to specialists as needed in special cases.

Being a doctor is a challenging career, and running a private practice even more so.

Makemba describes the experience as critical but also rewarding. “It brings joy to my heart being part of the healing process of so many patients.”

He employs six assistants.

Nesha Medical Practice is built on is service delivery above everything else. When asked how he would describe his experience thus far, he mentioned that it is excellent. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” he said.

Just as any other career, the medical world has its own challenges. “Limited infrastructure has always limited our ability to diversify our service and hence the decision to scale up and acquire a bigger office,” he said.

On the other hand, achievements and accomplishments keep the team motivated. “Setting up the practice to start with, that has been a major step. Community involvement, particularly information dissemination through television, radio and social media platforms, has been a major impact,” he explained.

The service-driven doctor has goals for his practice which include becoming the best at what they do and rendering services to the best of their abilities.

“Putting a smile on my client’s faces and seeing them return telling me that they feel better is the most rewarding thing a doctor experiences,” he says.

A typical day starts early, either with ward rounds or in theatre, and then proceeds to the office where he sees his patients throughout the day.