WINDHOEK – After being non-operational for six years, Ward Nine East in the Windhoek Central Hospital has been refurbished into a children’s ward with colourful murals aimed at positively enhancing the mood and ambience in the ward and thus contributing to the healing process of children taken up as patients.
The 11 rooms were painted by learners from three different schools in Windhoek – Windhoek Gymnasium, Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool and St George’s Private School. The theme of the wall paintings are children’s jungle stories adapted from children’s animated films such as the Lion King, Madagascar and Rio.
The ward was christened the Michelle McLean Children’s Ward in honour of Namibia’s former beauty queen and Miss Universe, Michelle McLean-Bailey, who has been instrumental in setting up the ward through donations to the hospital.
“Giving us the Michelle McLean Children’s Ward could not have come at a more opportune time than this,” said the Minister of Health and Social Services Dr Richard Kamwi.
October is associated with non-communicable diseases, amongst them cancer, and Kamwi said that cancer does not discriminate “even for the little ones. In fact they are the most hard hit because they cannot defend themselves, and they do not know where to go. They are simply under the care of doctors but the environment under which they are taken care of must be conducive. For this support we shall eternally be indebted to you (McLean-Bailey).”
“The environment is very attractive for the little ones,” Kamwi remarked on the ward.
On her part McLean-Bailey applauded all the other sponsors who made the refurbishment and furnishing possible, adding that the environment in the ward would be good for children to heal and the hospital staff to work in.
By Alvine Kapitako