THE Keetmanshoop State Hospital, opened in 1984, is to get an extensive revamp.
The 200-bed hospital, the second largest State hospital in the country, was built in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The renovation project, costing N$9,3 million funded from the Health Ministry’s capital development budget, is expected to start soon.
The Permanent Secretary of the Health Ministry, Kahijoro Kahuure, said the upgrade is in line with the ministry’s goals of delivering quality patient care, increasing coverage and bringing equity in the provision of services.
‘After 24 years of service, the hospital is now in need of upgrading to cater for increased demand and needs,’ Kahuure remarked.
The project will include the renovation of the dental clinic, psychiatric ward and pharmacy, and upgrading of the administrative block and casualty and outpatient departments.
The upgrade will also involve the installation of an air-conditioning system in the X-ray department and administrative block and a solar heating system for the ablution block.
Kahuure said the project, planned to be completed within 10 months, is not expected to affect patient services.
‘Alternative arrangements will be put in place to ensure minimum inconvenience of the patients,’ he added.
According to Kahuure, the expanded hospital will be able to accommodate several new programmes such as an anti-retroviral clinic, voluntary HIV counselling and testing, adolescent-friendly health services, a more spacious dental clinic and a dental laboratory.
‘The net effect will be increased quality of services to the patients. The aim is to provide clients and patients with relevant health and social service facilities,’ he said.
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