Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) president, Bisey Uirab, has refuted reports that the new oxygen tank recently installed at Windhoek Central Hospital caused power failure at the hospital on Sunday evening.

In a media statement issued on Tuesday, Uirab said all stakeholders in the private sector that form part of NCCI have reassured their commitment to helping the government with oxygen supply needed by patients in hospitals, especially at a time when the country is grappling with the COVID-19 surge. Therefore, NCCI will never allow inexperienced contractors to take up such a critical job that will compromise government’s efforts.

‘We appreciate the efforts made by the government as well as companies and individuals contributing towards the oxygen supply crisis we are currently experiencing in our country. Our private sector initiative will continue to provide significant quantities of oxygen free of charge into the country, in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Social Services and other commercial suppliers,’ said Uirab.

When contacted for comment, the Ministry of Health Executive Director Ben Nangombe said the power failure did not cause major damage to the hospital, but he is still waiting for the full report from the electrical team.

Various public officials, including City of Windhoek mayor Job Amupanda, have blamed the power outage on the poor installation of the new oxygen tanks.

Source: Namibia Press Agency