OSHAKATI – In the quest to deliver high-quality dialysis care to patients, the Ministry of Health and Social Services is in the process of completing a 12 -chair dialysis unit at the Oshakati Intermediate Hospital.
Health minister Dr Kalumbi Shangula made the revelations at the handover of three haemodialysis machines, overbed tables, chairs and a reverse osmosis machine to the tune of N$1.5 million.
The machines are sponsored by Debmarine.
Shangula said the completion of the dialysis facility will cut the long distances travelled by patients to seek care. “This donation will significantly enhance our capacity to deliver high-quality dialysis care to our patients. It also means that the ministry will realise significant savings by reducing the number of
patients who were in the past referred to private dialysis centres,” the minister said.
Shangula said the donation is timeous, as the hospital is in the process of transforming the old TB ward into a new dialysis unit at Oshakati.
The unit, which is expected to open its doors in the coming months, is part of the ministry’s strategy to maximise the utilisation of facilities to improve accessibility to life-saving treatments.
Since April 2023 to date, the Oshakati hospital has managed 133 new haemodialysis cases.
He said 35 patients have recovered, and 38 are
being managed as outpatients.
However, the hospital had to refer 27 chronic
cases to private facilities.
In addition to the establishment of the dialysis units across the country, the ministry is also putting up Intensive Care Units (ICU) in all district hospitals across the country. “The implementation of these projects will bring services closer to the people,” the minister said.
Debmarine spokesperson Stella Ipinge said Debmarine is committed to support government’s efforts in providing healthcare to the people and ensuring their social welfare, saying it is their way of contributing towards bettering the lives of the Namibian people.
*Nuusita Ashipala is an information officer at MICT Oshana.