Rundu
The Rundu Intermediate Hospital should have a new maternity ward soon. It is being built at a cost of N$28 million and the contractor plans to hand over the facility by the end of April.
Construction of the maternity ward started in May 2014 after land was availed to government in March 2014 for the building work to begin. Summer Stone Construction is the contractor.
Over the years the Rundu hospital has been notorious for overcrowding and the new ward is expected to ease the overcrowded old maternity ward, an issue the public have complained bitterly about over the years.
Tuhafeni Nashitati, the manager and owner of Summer Stone Construction, told New Era they are doing the final touches, such as tiling, laying interlocks and removing the building rubble from the site.
At one stage the contractor was criticised by ministry officials for being slow and delaying the project, but the contractor said they were on track.
“This soil is collapsible soil so we needed to lay a strong foundation before building. We were given the plot in March 2014 and had to clear it first, as it was bushy and had big trees. When we started with excavations we were also delayed, as every second day we found human remains,” said the site manager of Summer Stone Construction, John Elago.
“We discovered that the plot was a cemetery many years ago. We as humans were distracted by that, but that didn’t delay our construction work that much as we are delivering on time. We had a period of two years to finish and we are in the final stages of handover,” Elago said.
The project employed close to 100 workers on site.
The ward will have its own administration block, 200 beds, an isolation unit, a premature birth unit, two theatres, six delivery rooms and a full antenatal care unit.
“We want quality work; people should build quality work for their fellow Namibians, not buildings that will endanger people’s lives. People must just be patient, we will deliver the project,” said Elago, during the time the company was criticised for being behind schedule.