Minister of Health and Social Services , Dr Kalumbi Shangula , said they have identified the absence of dialysis services in public hospitals as an important priority that must be addressed . Shangula was speaking during the commissioning of a 12 – bed dialysis unit at Oshakati Intermediate Hospital on Friday , saying that for many years , State patients who require renal dialysis services had to travel long distances to access these services . According to Shangula , at times the government had to spend significant amounts of money referring State patients to private health facilities , and in the process , spent more than N . dollars 100 million annually . He indicated that since its completion in July this year , the unit has already treated over 67 patients , with 35 of them being new patients . Over 311 dialysis sessions have been conducted , a clear indication of the necessity and impact of this expansion . ‘ The commissioning of this unit reflects our dedication to providing vital services equitably an
d sustainably ,’ he said . He explained that the ministry had in 2016 , advertised a tender , inviting bids for the establishment of dialysis units at Windhoek Central Hospital , Oshakati and Rundu . However , the process could not proceed to finality due to some challenges . ‘ The ministry was thus compelled to restart the project at a later stage . In 2019 , the ministry restarted the process to establish dialysis units in strategic hospitals . These attempts were frustrated by the onset of COVID – 19 ,’ Shangula said . He added that in October 2021 , after the COVID pandemic subsided , the ministry reignited the project to establish dialysis units at identified hospitals . He noted that a number of strategic hospitals were identified and the number of haemodialysis machines were determined based on location and the number of cases . Shangula indicated that before this project , dialysis services in the State sector were only available for patients in intensive care units ( ICU ) at Oshakati Intermediate Ho
spital , having 5 haemodialysis machines , Rundu Intermediate Hospital , having 2 and Windhoek Central Hospital having 7 haemodialysis machines . ‘ Hence , the government remains committed to improving the healthcare landscape in Namibia , ensuring that essential services are brought closer to those in need and enhancing their collective efforts toward achieving Universal Health Coverage ,’ he said .

Source: The Namibia Press Agency