The ministries of Health, Finance, and the National Planning Commission are expected to mobilize resources for the construction of a 300-bed district hospital in Windhoek, following a cabinet directive.
As part of the plans, the Ministry of Health and the Office of the Prime Minister have been instructed to establish and allocate the necessary staff positions for the planned District Hospital and make financial provisions for its operationalization.
This comes as President Hage Geingob announced the hospital plans earlier this year, a development which is expected to alleviate the strain on Katutura and Central intermediate hospitals, the country’s oldest healthcare facilities, which are currently overwhelmed with patients.
Namibia’s healthcare system currently consists of 1,150 outreach points, 27 primary clinics, 44 health centers, 30 district hospitals, and only five referral hospitals, according to official statistics.
Despite being internationally recognized for providing healthcare services above a 70% benchmark, Namibia faces challenges such as medicine and equipment shortages, understaffing, deteriorating hospitals, and inadequate healthcare facilities. This forces residents to travel long distances to access essential services.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services has been allocated N$9.7 billion for the 2023/24 financial year, with an additional N$29.4 billion earmarked over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework.
Within this budget, over N$700 million will be dedicated to investments, healthcare facility renovations, recruitment of medical personnel, and the procurement of pharmaceuticals and ambulances.
The government is also planning to introduce a Universal Health Coverage (UHC) policy to improve access to quality healthcare services for all citizens.
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