The Ministry of Health and Social Services has advised families to ensure speedy burial of their loved ones in order to decongest the mortuaries which are overwhelmed by rising deaths due to COVID-19.
Health minister Kalumbi Shangula while updating the National Assembly on the country’s COVID-19 situation Tuesday said the high number of deaths reported are placing pressure on available space at State mortuaries.
Namibia reported 5 761 new confirmed cases and 147 deaths in the last week two weeks.
“Provisions of the law will be enforced with respect to families who fail to collect bodies of their loved ones from the State mortuaries within the time as provided in the relevant law. Some of the bodies have been in mortuaries for five years,” Shangula said.
He highlighted that the number of deaths reported in the country, 936 by Tuesday, far surpassed the figures estimated in the Disease Estimate Projection Model that indicated that Namibia would have recorded 834 deaths due to COVID-19 during the years 2020 and 2021.
Further, Shangula said increased hospitalisations are placing immense pressure on the healthcare system with respect to available personnel, facilities, equipment, supplies and commodities, leading to a high demand for oxygen and personal protective equipment (PPE).
He said the situation is so critical that the occupancy rate in most COVID-19 isolation and intensive care units, both in the public and private sector, range between 67 per cent and 100 per cent on any given day.
To reinforce the response, the ministry has taken steps to bring on board more human resources to especially assist in the isolation facilities and hospital wards.
They have also identified and expanded additional physical space to cater for more COVID-19 patients who need hospitalisation and care.
“We have increased the supply of oxygen as a critical component in the care of COVID-19 patients. Dedicated oxygen generating banks are being constructed at Windhoek Central Hospital and Onandjokwe hospital while the Katutura Hospital Respiratory Unit and Oshakati hospital are being provided with oxygen tanks. We have acquired clinical supplies and medical equipment, more PPEs, and other logistical items to deal with the current wave,” Shangula said.
Source: Namibia Press Agency
