By: Ludorf Iyambo
Former health minister Bernard Haufiku has expressed shock after it emerged that he got barred from excessing the premises of the Catholic Church in Windhoek due to a dispute.
A document hit the internet Friday morning to the effect that Haufiku, former cabinet member and leader of the Covid-19 task force had been declared persona non-grata.
The document does not shed much light but claims that an incident happened at the Catholic Hospital which left their management with no choice but to bar Dr. Haufiku from accessing the facility.
“On the 28th of January 2022, an incident happened here at our R.C Hospital premises that left the R.C.H management with no choice but to take a final decision not to allow Dr. Haufiku again to enter its hospital premises until further notice. Please note that trespassing will lead R.C.H with no option but to open a police case against you, Dr. Haufiku,” reads the letter dated the 1st of March 2022.
Speaking to The Villager newspaper, Haufiku said he has been renting a consultation room at the catholic hospital for 15 years before he became a minister.
He said when he was appointed in government, he then left the facility in the hands of two doctors after they had approached him for five years.
But Haufiku could not disclose the dispute that has now led to him being shut away from the Catholic hospital, only saying that certain things happened in the process, which he is dealing with the two doctors.
“I could not deal with the two doctors without the church or the hospital involved because they are the owner of the premises. I sought meetings and wrote several letters trying to get this issue resolved, pertaining to issues concerning my consultation room,” he said.
He added that some of the meetings he has had with the hospital ended in threats that he did not specify.
“Somebody literally threatened me, and I was actually shocked because the person who made a threat is a catholic nun. I do not want to use the word she used. The police also got involved and she apologized to me,” said Haufiku.
Haufiku said he asked one of the sisters, Bernadette Shipanga, to clarify for him the basics upon which he has now been banned, only to be told that such will be possible only after a meeting of the church’s board.
According to Haufiku, sometimes he would refer patients to causality but the sister would stop him.
” One day she insisted that I leave the patient for another doctor to come and treat him. I said no, call the police, I’m not going to leave the patient until I’m done with the patient. After I finished, I went to see the sister, we had a discussion, she stated and emphasized that I should not come to the Catholic hospital. I said give me a court order that finds me guilty of anything that I cannot treat my patient here. She said no we don’t need a court order, this is a private hospital,” he said.
Haufiku has disclosed to The Villager that he is now renting a room next to the Nust hotel school in Windhoek west, but that 10 000 of his patients’ files are still with the Catholic hospital.
Pressed on what his next course of action is, the former minister said that he will wait to see how the situation revolves.
“I guess the ball is within their court to call the police, launch a court case, whatever they think is within their court. I’m just watching and, in the meantime, attending to my patients,” he said.