Hospital being expanded
Construction of modern neonatal ward starts
23 November 2020 | Local News
Swakopmund • Erwin Leuschner
“This facility will make a huge difference in the Erongo region, especially in terms of new born survival. This is especially true for premature babies who are at risk of dying without special treatment,” Prime Minister Saara Kuugongwela-Amadhila said in Swakopmund on Friday.
At the event, she symbolically initiated the start of construction for a modern neonatal ward at the state hospital and built a brick in the process.
The new facility will accommodate 28 beds: twelve standard care beds, six special care beds, six intensive care beds and four isolation beds.
There will also be doctor's offices and standby rooms.
In addition, a new maternity home is being built with a further twelve beds.
According to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, this accommodation promotes mother-child bonding and breastfeeding.
“Government didn't just think about building the facility; vacancies for paediatricians and other specialist positions required for the neonatal ward will be advertised soon,” she said.
According to the Prime Minister, government responded to the increased demand for neonatal care, especially since the maternity ward in the Swakopmund district has only 26 beds and four incubators for new borns.
“For many years, only one intensive care unit in Windhoek served new borns. With the new facility in Swakopmund, new borns in need of intensive care no longer need to be brought to Windhoek,” she said.
The new ward will therefore serve the entire region.
According to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, health is a government priority, which is why several such projects have been carried out across the country.
These include a new clinic at Arandis, which was built in 2018, and a new clinic in Utuseb along the Kuiseb River, which was officially inaugurated in February this year.
Both facilities cost more than N$30 million.
“This facility will make a huge difference in the Erongo region, especially in terms of new born survival. This is especially true for premature babies who are at risk of dying without special treatment,” Prime Minister Saara Kuugongwela-Amadhila said in Swakopmund on Friday.
At the event, she symbolically initiated the start of construction for a modern neonatal ward at the state hospital and built a brick in the process.
The new facility will accommodate 28 beds: twelve standard care beds, six special care beds, six intensive care beds and four isolation beds.
There will also be doctor's offices and standby rooms.
In addition, a new maternity home is being built with a further twelve beds.
According to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, this accommodation promotes mother-child bonding and breastfeeding.
“Government didn't just think about building the facility; vacancies for paediatricians and other specialist positions required for the neonatal ward will be advertised soon,” she said.
According to the Prime Minister, government responded to the increased demand for neonatal care, especially since the maternity ward in the Swakopmund district has only 26 beds and four incubators for new borns.
“For many years, only one intensive care unit in Windhoek served new borns. With the new facility in Swakopmund, new borns in need of intensive care no longer need to be brought to Windhoek,” she said.
The new ward will therefore serve the entire region.
According to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, health is a government priority, which is why several such projects have been carried out across the country.
These include a new clinic at Arandis, which was built in 2018, and a new clinic in Utuseb along the Kuiseb River, which was officially inaugurated in February this year.
Both facilities cost more than N$30 million.
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