US funds mobile ICU for Walvis Bay

The Walvis Bay State Hospital now boasts a mobile five-bed intensive care unit (ICU) valued at N$20 million, funded by the United States Department of Defence Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster and Civic Aid (OHDACA) programme.At the official handover ceremony on Monday at the Walvis Bay State Hospital, acting deputy chief of mission Tiffany Miller of the US embassy explained that the mission of the OHDACA is to fund humanitarian assistance activities and enhance the capacity of partner nations to prepare for and respond to humanitarian crises.“This fully equipped five-bed intensive care unit is a mobile and self-sufficient system. It provides the ministry of health and social services with a resource that can be used to support the local population in Walvis Bay or can be disassembled, transported and reassembled in a matter of days to respond to a crisis in the most remote locations,” she said.Miller explained that the unit is self-sufficient with dual generator power, water and sewage systems, and air conditioning, allowing it to operate autonomously in the field.“It is also stocked with N$600 000 worth of medicine to ensure the ICU is immediately ready for operations. A team of Namibian personnel, including doctors and nurses from the ministry, were trained in all aspects of the ICU set-up as well as the individual pieces of medical equipment within the ICU.”Significant contributionMiller further stated that this is the first of four donations that will be installed across Namibia in the coming months. “These donations include a second five-bed ICU in Otjiwarongo, as well as two field hospitals in Outapi and Katima Mulilo, each including a 30-bed negative pressure isolation facility and a UN Level I Urgent Care Clinic. These donations will total over N$128 million in value and represent the largest single DoD humanitarian assistance donation to the Namibian people to date.”Ben Nangombe, the health ministry&#039;s executive director, explained that the addition of this state-of-the-art mobile intensive care unit comes at a crucial time as the ministry is enhancing capacity at public health facilities nationwide to provide services to the people.“Following Covid-19, we had about 23 ICU beds in Onandjokwe, Oshakati, Katutura Hospital and Windhoek Central Hospital. There were no other ICU beds in state health facilities, and we realised that there was a serious gap."He said the ministry, in order to address the shortfall in ICU beds at all 34 district hospitals, is going to get ICU capacity funded by the Namibian government."By the completion of this project, we will have no fewer than 200 ICU beds. We know that we need to bring services closer to the people, and we are truly grateful for all the support we are receiving to increase that capacity.”Closer at handHe explained that in terms of Walvis Bay, it will not only have ICU capacity funded by the government but will also have an additional mobile ICU facility.“In recent years, the demand for ICU services has grown significantly. Many patients requiring intensive care have had to be transferred to Windhoek. The long distances present considerable risk. The long-distance transfers not only strain our healthcare resources but also place additional stress on patients and their families. The establishment of a fully equipped ICU facility here in Walvis Bay will mitigate these challenges, ensuring that critical care is accessible in a timely manner.”

US funds mobile ICU for Walvis Bay

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-07

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US funds mobile ICU for Walvis Bay

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-07

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