Windhoek
A part of the development budget appropriated to the Ministry of Health and Social Services for this year will be used to construct a district hospital at Ondangwa, in Oshana Region.
Although a total of N$20 million has been set aside for the construction of the hospital for this year, the construction budget is estimated to will increase to N$30 million next year, with a total budget estimate of N$100.4 million when the hospital is completed.
A feasibility study was completed and now the ministry is clearing and fencing the land where the hospital is to be constructed, while a master plan for the hospital is being developed.
This is according to the estimated expenditure for development programmes for 2015/16 to 2017/18, as contained in the Treasury’s Medium Term Expenditure Framework.
The health ministry says Ondangwa Hospital is expected “to improve the efficiency of service provision and improve access to specialised health care service”.
The Ondangwa District Hospital will be the third state hospital in Oshana Region, in addition to the ones in Oshakati and Onandjokwe.
A gigantic bulk of the N$698.815 million for the development budget appropriated to the Ministry of Health and Social Services, for 2015/16, will be spent on renovating clinics and hospitals in the regions of Kunene, Hardap, Outapi, Omaheke, Karas, Kavango West and Oshana.
The money is only for the 2015/16 financial year, but it increases to N$714.909 million in 2016/17 to cater for the ongoing upgrading and renovations at the hospitals.
Andara, a village unknown to many outside Kavango East Region, is another one of the areas with hospitals to receive much needed upgrading and renovation.
A total of N$10.85 million has been set aside to upgrade and renovate Andara Hospital. Andara is a village in Mukwe Constituency, 200km east of Rundu.
Okahao Hospital, in Outapi, has been allocated N$15 million for upgrading and renovation. The renovation of Keetmanshoop Hospital in Karas Region has been budgeted at N$30 million. The same amount has been earmarked for the renovation and upgrading of Nkurenkuru District Hospital. Rundu Hospital is also to be upgraded and renovated at a cost of N$30 million.
The upgrading of Gobabis District Hospital will cost N$5.8 million. Opuwo District Hospital will be upgraded and renovated at a cost of N$15.4 million, while Tsandi District Hospital will be upgraded at a cost of N$4.39 million.
Khomas will have a new district hospital and government has budgeted N$10.5 million for this year’s construction work.
For the construction and upgrading of primary health care centres countrywide, government has budgeted N$50 million this year, and N$50 million each year for the next two years. Government has also budgeted N$19.5 million for the construction of mental health clinics nationwide.
The ministry says the reason for such spending on renovations and upgrading of hospitals is because “there is a lack of space at health facilities to take into account additional service and emerging needs, as well as housing accommodation at all health facilities.”
• New Era will every Thursday publish a review of the regional distribution of the national development budget for 2015/16, focussing on projects for each ministry in the regions.