Construction of the long-delayed Nkurenkuru Intermediate Hospital is set to proceed after government ordered that the project move ahead without further delays, more than a decade after its groundbreaking ceremony was first held in 2014.
Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare said government has already secured funding for the construction of hospitals at Nkurenkuru, Ondangwa, Otjiwarongo and Windhoek as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s strained public healthcare system.
“We have also decided that where feasibility studies were already conducted, such as Nkurenkuru Intermediate Hospital, it must be constructed without delay. Equally feasibility studies must not be used as legal delays by those professionals entrusted with such duties,” Ngurare told a graduation ceremony at Triumphant College’s Khomasdal campus.
The renewed push comes as the Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) revealed that it has disbursed N$1 billion towards the construction of new hospitals across the country, with the bulk of the funding earmarked for the planned 500-bed Windhoek District Hospital.
Part of the funding will also support hospital projects in Nkurenkuru, Ondangwa and Otjiwarongo, which government says are aimed at improving access to healthcare services and easing pressure on overcrowded referral hospitals.
Namibia’s public healthcare system has faced growing pressure in recent years, particularly in the Khomas Region where hospitals continue to battle overcrowding and rising patient numbers.
The planned Windhoek District Hospital, which will be built in Havana, is expected to reduce pressure on Katutura Intermediate Hospital by expanding inpatient and outpatient healthcare services in the capital.
According to the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the new facility will include a pharmacy, radiology department, outpatient services, kitchen and laundry facilities.
The projects form part of government’s broader healthcare infrastructure expansion programme under the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) and the “ROADMAP” initiative spearheaded by the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the Ministry of Finance and the National Planning Commission.
Government is also preparing for the rollout of Vision April 2026, a programme that will require civil servants to use public healthcare facilities. The first phase, expected to begin on 1 April 2026, will target senior public servants, political office bearers, executive directors and security chiefs.
Ngurare said government is also pursuing plans to strengthen local pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity and is negotiating agreements with India, Cuba and Egypt to procure medicines for public hospitals.
