WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA — It started with a phone call from a worried daughter. Her elderly mother's blood sugar had climbed dangerously high, she needed a doctor, and she needed one quickly. Within the hour, a critical-care nurse was at the bedside. The older woman never had to leave her own home. That call is the story behind PatientCare's new Elderly Wellness Programme, home-based care built for Namibian families who cannot afford medical aid but still want their elders looked after, close to the people who love them.
An emergency, answered at home
The woman had heard about PatientCare from a friend. When she called the office, she was frightened and asking for a doctor for her mother, whose blood sugar was alarmingly high. And like many older Namibians, her mother did not want to sit through the long wait at a public hospital. She wanted to stay home.
PatientCare co-founder Jesse Schiceya took the call and phoned his fellow co-founder, Dr Ferlin "Su" Schiceya, straight away. Dr Schiceya pulled her clinical team together, and Sister Ivy Kahimbi, an experienced HPCNA-registered nurse who specialises in critical care, was ready to go. She met the daughter at a pharmacy, collected what was needed, and treated the patient safely in her own home, bringing her blood sugar back under control.
Sister Ivy is not done there. She will keep visiting to watch over the recovery and report back to Dr Schiceya, so the family does not find itself in the same frightening position again.
A gap many Namibian families know well
Our public hospitals carry a heavy load, and the people working in them do so with real dedication. But for an older person without medical aid, getting help can still mean long queues, few beds, and hours spent somewhere they would rather not be. PatientCare's Elderly Wellness Programme exists to help close that gap, by bringing steady, professional care into the home instead.
What the programme covers
- A nurse who visits regularly and catches problems early
- Regular doctor check-ins, so a medical eye is never far away
- Medication delivered to the door, so nobody has to chase the pharmacy
- Support with recovery after illness, injury, or a hospital stay
- Practical, day-to-day help managing high blood pressure and diabetes
- Physiotherapy and more, being added now
"This is exactly why we started PatientCare. When a Namibian family is frightened and doesn't know where to turn, someone should answer, and someone should come. Our elders raised us. They deserve to be cared for with dignity, at home, near the people they love." - Jesse Schiceya, Co-Founder, PatientCare
"Critical care doesn't always need a hospital bed. With the right training and the right support behind you, you can stabilise a patient safely at home and stay with them through the recovery. That's the part that keeps our elders safe." - Sister Ivy Kahimbi, HPCNA-Registered Critical Care Nurse, PatientCare
Availability
PatientCare is available on iOS and Android. Nurse home visits start at N$200.00 per visit, per hour. Full Elderly Wellness Programme packages are available on request.
About PatientCare
PatientCare (Dawa Afya Medical Technologies CC) is a Namibian prepaid digital health platform on a simple mission: to bring affordable, accessible healthcare to people's doorsteps, from urgent nurse-led home visits to ongoing wellness care for elders and families without medical aid.
Learn more at www.patientcare.care.