With the population of the Kavango East region now reaching 218 000 inhabitants, the Ministry of Health and Social Services has announced its plan to construct a new intermediate hospital at Kayengona village to ease the pressure on Rundu Intermediate Hospital.
Kavango East regional health director Idah Mendai announced this on Friday during a site visit to the earmarked land by prime minister Elijah Ngurare.
The proposed location is about 10km from Rundu.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
Mendai said the Shambyu Traditional Authority has allocated a portion of land for the project.
“Although the current hospital is classified as an intermediate hospital, we want to construct a fully-fledged intermediate facility and convert the existing one into a district hospital, as Rundu currently lacks such a facility,” she explained.
Mendai said the ministry has approached the traditional authority to secure sufficient land to accommodate all planned healthcare services.
“At the moment, you will see how we are forced to operate. Due to space constraints, services at the current hospital are combined. Rundu alone now has a population of 118 000 people, and we simply cannot accommodate them all at the current facility,” she said.
The existing intermediate hospital also serves patients from the Zambezi and Kavango West regions, and neighbouring Angola, Mendai said.
She confirmed that the ministry received the land’s certificate of approval last month, which they plan to present to the executive leadership of the ministry.
“Planning and administrative processes will begin on Monday, including submissions to the head office to guide budgeting and construction,” she said.
Mendai appealed to the Office of the Prime Minister to help fast-track the project, citing urgent conditions, including the mixing of mental health patients with others due to limited space.
“We are unable to serve the community as we should,” she said.
Ngurare thanked the traditional authority for availing the land and noted that the construction of an intermediate hospital in the region aligns with the Swapo Party manifesto. – Nampa
