COVID-19: Prefab ward on the cards for Swakopmund District Hospital

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A 40-bed prefabricated COVID-19 facility which will be used as a transitional ward is being planned for the Swakopmund District Hospital.

At the COVID-19 media briefing here on Tuesday, Erongo Governor Neville Andre Itope said a task force is busy finalising the findings of their investigations, after which engagements with the private sector will commence in order to source support.

The task force team forms part of the region’s COVID-19 readiness and preparedness.

“Over the past two weeks my office has been engaging various stakeholders in both the public and private sectors to find ways to respond to the urgent need for oxygen and beds at some of the district hospitals in our region,” Itope said.

According to the governor, a team of experts was on Monday dispatched to Swakop Uranium Mine to inspect the prefab infrastructure.

“The team is at the moment doing its technical report which includes the site plan, the bill of quantities and to give an indication as to how many panels will be required.”

The entire process is expected take up to eight weeks, after which the facility is expected to start operating.

Another transitional facility has been set up at the Tamariskia community hall by community members but is not yet operational. If approved by the Ministry of Health and Social Services, it would be able to accommodate 15 patients at a time.

Erongo Chief Medical Officer Dr Leonard Kabongo meanwhile expressed concern about the number of home deaths in the region and urged community members to seek medical assistance as soon as they need it.

“People dying at home is not something we want to see. People in smaller towns especially should not think they will not get help at their local health centres. We want them to visit their clinics and they will receive the necessary health care until they are admitted to the state hospital if need be,” Kabongo advised.

The Erongo Region has so far recorded 334 deaths.

Source: Namibia Press Agency