Nuusita Ashipala
ONGWEDIVA – The Oshakati Intermediate Hospital will review a request to have its psychiatric ward renovated after a 37-year-old patient took his own life in the ward on Saturday morning.
Kapembe Venantius is the second patient to have committed suicide at the hospital in two months, after a 54-year-old committed suicide in March this year.
According to Inspector Petrus Iimbili, Kapembe hanged himself with a hospital sheet from the door of an isolation room where he was being accommodated.
Venantius was admitted last Friday after he reportedly caused some disturbances at home.
He was a resident of Oshoopala location in Oshakati.
Following the most recent incident, the chief medical officer at Oshakati Intermediate Hospital Korbinian Vizcaya Amutenya said the hospital will plead with decision-makers to accelerate the process to renovate the ward.
Amutenya said there have been other cases in the past which prompted the hospital to make a submission for the ward to be renovated to ensure that it is up to standard.
“It is difficult to control a suicidal person but we have made a submission for renovations so that people diagnosed with suicidal thoughts are housed in a suicidal room,” he said.
He said the current ward does not make provision for suicidal patients. For now, only the bill of quantities has been finalised.
Police have opened an inquest docket.
No foul play is suspected and the next of kin have been informed.