State hospitals in a ‘sorry state’

Otis Daniels_Finck
Swakopmund • Erwin Leuschner


Three regional council members of the IPC in the Erongo region are dismayed by the “state of decline” of the two state hospitals in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, urging health minister Kalumbi Shangula to take urgent action.

The three regional politicians, Ciske Howard (Swakopmund), Deriou Benson (Walvis Bay Urban) and Deonadus Tegaku (Walvis Bay Rural) paid a surprise visit to the two health facilities on 8 January. Howard claims to have identified various grievances – grievances she made note of in a letter addressed to health minister Shangula as well as other politicians.

“During our visit it was clear that these hospitals have received little to no attention in recent years,” she said. The hospitals are in a dilapidated state and “as a nation, we cannot be proud of our health facilities”.

She offered her support to help improve the state of the hospitals “so that we can serve our people”.

In the letter, Howard lists several issues, including how nurses and other staff often have to collect money to buy batteries for equipment so that the devices can remain in use because the procurement process can take up to three months – a situation that is “completely unacceptable”.

Another example is that an operating theatre in Walvis Bay has no bulbs for the operating light.

Apart from the deplorable condition, Howard was appalled that the Covid-19 area at the Swakopmund state hospital is only cordoned off with a “screen”.

“Some sheets are still from the old South West African government. It is unbelievable that these have not been replaced in the past 30 years,” she said.