Sister Shivute’s Passion for Health and Care
Sitting down with Sister Shivute you quickly notice that she radiates a passion for quality healthcare. This passion drove her to start a mobile clinic that has become a permanent clinic, Charisma Clinic, at Pelican Square inside the Tauben Glen Pharmacy, in Windhoek. Offering much needed care and counsel to the community, with an aim of prevention or early detected and an ethos of care, Charisma Clinic has established itself as a support in healthcare.
“For more than thirty years I worked in the hospital, but I always wanted to do something more for my people, especially the home nursing. I remember there was a time I went to a house in Khomasdal, I used to volunteer in my free time. I went to this house and there was a man who was just lying in bed. It was a brother who was looking after him and it was terrible. People don’t have enough nursing knowledge.”
“Our clinic wants to contribute towards the national efforts of achieving Vision ‘2030’ with the objective of improving the overall health conditions of our Namibians citizens.” Says Sister Shivute, who adds, “We have been observing how the people are suffering from chronic diseases like sugar diabetes and blood pressure and they are queuing every day at the clinics; at the hospitals; at consulting rooms, and even at the pharmacies for chronic medications. We want to prevent the diseases before they come.”
The world’s lifestyle choices have fast become a lifestyle crisis, as seen in the increases of chronic diseases, linked to poor health and nutrition. Noting the link between weight and health as well as nutrition and health, the Sister feels we need to be part of the solution towards our own health goals. After testing patients the approach at Charisma Clinic is to first, “work out a diet for you, we try by all means to give you nutritional advice for you not to start with the chronic medications.”
“If you are physically healthy, you are more likely to feel emotionally healthy. By eating the right food, your body will be strong and healthy to cope with stress and fight illnesses.”
“Good nutrition is important for a healthy lifestyle. If you combine it [nutrition] with exercises you can maintain a healthy weight, you reduce the risk of chronic diseases, like heart disease and cancer and you promote your overall health.”
“If you are physically healthy, you are more likely to feel emotionally healthy. By eating the right food, your body will be strong and healthy to cope with stress and fight illnesses.” Notes Sister Shivute.
“Or for instance, you have a sick mother; you can arrange for us to come and look after her. We can be there. We can allocate somebody that will come also for a week, a weekend, even overnight.”
In addition to working with their clients to prevent illness, the Chrisma Clinic also offers valuable home nursing services. “We realised that a lot of our people get discharged, they get out of the hospital, but they are still in need of nursing care.”
Offering these services at a patients home, means should you be unable to drive to a healthcare provider, the nurse will come to you. “Maybe you’ve come from a major operation, there is nobody to drive you around. We are the one who can assist you, we come to your house. We do that for you.”
“Or long term bedridden patients, who have a catheter, we come and change and clean it. Or for instance, you have a sick mother; you can arrange for us to come and look after her. We can be there. We can allocate somebody that will come also for a week, a weekend, even overnight.”
“Please. We are just a phone call away. That is what we do. We are helpers”
Her passion to help those in need comes across as she asks that you rather call her than leave anyone in need unattended. “Please. We are just a phone call away. That is what we do. We are helpers. For more than thirty years I worked in the hospital, but I always wanted to do something more for my people, especially the home nursing. I remember there was a time I went to a house in Khomasdal, I used to volunteer in my free time. I went to this house and there was a man who was just lying in bed. It was a brother who was looking after him and it was terrible. People don’t have enough nursing knowledge. He was in a very bad condition. Nobody could bath him properly. Then I realised that we need to this type of service.”
Offering services from Wound Dressing and Removal of Stitches, to Weight Management and Nutritional Advice, to Papsmears or home Visits and Home Care, find Charisma Clinic by calling 081 850 9086 or sending an email to charismanamibia@gmail.com
Written by Kirsty Watermeyer