Over 300 beds planned for Rundu mental health centre

The Ministry of Health and Social Services plans to construct a massive new mental health facility at Rundu, with over 300 beds, aiming to address the current overcrowding crisis.

According to a notice from the environmental impact assessment (EIA), the proposed six-hectare facility, to be built next to Don Bosco Catholic Church along Independence Avenue, will include a forensic psychiatric ward with around 100 beds, a civil psychiatric ward of similar capacity, a geriatric ward with 20 beds, an adolescent ward with 30 beds, a mixed children’s ward with 15 beds, and a substance use disorder unit with 35 beds.

The project will include staff accommodation, an administration block, water and power storage units, playgrounds, an incinerator, and fencing. Construction is expected to be carried out in phases.

Environmental consultants Excel Dynamic Solutions, which was appointed to conduct the EIA, says the assessment will identify potential environmental impacts and recommend mitigation measures.

All interested and affected parties are invited to register and submit written comments by 30 December. The date for a public meeting will be communicated to registered participants.

“We encourage residents and organisations to register so they can provide input during the assessment process,” Excel Dynamic Solutions says.

Questions regarding the purpose, cost, and timelines of the project were sent to the Ministry of Health and Social Services, but were not responded to by the time of going to print.

Health minister Esperance Luvindao last month revealed that 91 544 patients attended outpatient mental health services, while 11 489 were admitted to hospital in the past financial year.

Namibia currently has only two public mental healthcare facilities.

Windhoek Central Hospital’s mental health unit has a capacity of 220 beds, while ward 16 at Oshakati Intermediate Hospital is designed to accommodate 60 beds, but often holds more than 200 patients.

Staff at the hospital report daily overcrowding, ageing infrastructure, and a shortage of medicines – challenges some healthcare officials say justify the need for a new facility.

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