Swakop gets hospital ward for babies
A neonatal ward being built at the Swakopmund State Hospital will mean that newborns in need of intensive care no longer need to be transferred to Windhoek.
ERWIN LEUSCHNER
SWAKOPMUND
A neonatal ward and maternity home for new mothers are being built at the Swakopmund State Hospital and should be finished by February 2022.
The project will cost an estimated N$27 million. “This facility will make a huge difference in the Erongo Region, especially in terms of newborn survival. This is especially true for premature babies who are at risk of dying without special treatment,” Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said at the groundbreaking ceremony last week.
The new facility will accommodate 28 beds: 12 standard care beds, six special care beds, six intensive care beds and four isolation beds.
Increased demand
There will also be doctors' offices and standby rooms.
In addition, a new maternity home is being built with a further 12 beds. According to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, this accommodation promotes mother-child bonding and breastfeeding.
“Government didn't just think about building the facility; vacancies for paediatricians and other specialist positions required for the neonatal ward will be advertised soon,” she said.
According to the prime minister, the government responded to an increased demand for neonatal care, especially since the maternity ward at the Swakopmund district hospital has only 26 beds and four incubators for newborns.
“For many years, only one intensive care unit in Windhoek served newborns. With the new facility in Swakopmund, newborns in need of intensive care no longer need to be brought to Windhoek,” she said.
The new ward will serve the entire Erongo Region.
Other projects
According to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, health is a government priority, which is why several such projects have been carried out across the country.
These include a new clinic at Arandis, which was built in 2018, and a new clinic at Utuseb along the Kuiseb River, which was inaugurated in February this year.
Both facilities cost more than N$30 million.
SWAKOPMUND
A neonatal ward and maternity home for new mothers are being built at the Swakopmund State Hospital and should be finished by February 2022.
The project will cost an estimated N$27 million. “This facility will make a huge difference in the Erongo Region, especially in terms of newborn survival. This is especially true for premature babies who are at risk of dying without special treatment,” Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said at the groundbreaking ceremony last week.
The new facility will accommodate 28 beds: 12 standard care beds, six special care beds, six intensive care beds and four isolation beds.
Increased demand
There will also be doctors' offices and standby rooms.
In addition, a new maternity home is being built with a further 12 beds. According to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, this accommodation promotes mother-child bonding and breastfeeding.
“Government didn't just think about building the facility; vacancies for paediatricians and other specialist positions required for the neonatal ward will be advertised soon,” she said.
According to the prime minister, the government responded to an increased demand for neonatal care, especially since the maternity ward at the Swakopmund district hospital has only 26 beds and four incubators for newborns.
“For many years, only one intensive care unit in Windhoek served newborns. With the new facility in Swakopmund, newborns in need of intensive care no longer need to be brought to Windhoek,” she said.
The new ward will serve the entire Erongo Region.
Other projects
According to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, health is a government priority, which is why several such projects have been carried out across the country.
These include a new clinic at Arandis, which was built in 2018, and a new clinic at Utuseb along the Kuiseb River, which was inaugurated in February this year.
Both facilities cost more than N$30 million.
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