Keetmanshoop hospital gets N$13.7m upgrade

Health minister Dr Esperance Luvindao on Monday launched a brand-new CT scanner and a renovated emergency unit at Keetmanshoop District Hospital, saying 415 patients from the ǁKharas region had been referred to Windhoek for scans over the past year.“For many years, patients in the ǁKharas region who needed a CT scan had to travel long distances, often to Windhoek, about 500 km away,” she said.“Those journeys came at a cost in time, money and health. Diagnoses were delayed, families spent money they could hardly afford on transport and accommodation, and referral hospitals faced additional pressure. For a patient with a head injury, a suspected stroke or serious trauma, those hours matter,” Luvindao stressed.The CT scanner cost the government N$7 million, while the emergency unit renovation cost N$6.7 million, she added.She said the new facilities would strengthen the hospital’s role as a regional referral centre.“With intensive care, specialist services, a modern emergency unit and now advanced diagnostic services, Keetmanshoop hospital has become the natural healthcare hub of the southern regions,” the minister said.Every second countsLuvindao stressed that modern diagnostic equipment has to be paired with effective emergency response services. “The emergency unit is the front door of any hospital. It is where every minute counts, whether it is a victim of a road accident or a mother arriving with a critically ill child in the middle of the night," she said.“Patients arrive here in vulnerable conditions, and they deserve a facility that is responsive, safe, clean, dignified and fit for purpose. That is why we have invested in the comprehensive renovation of this vital unit. It now provides our doctors and nurses with a modern, well-equipped environment to receive, assess, stabilise and treat patients promptly,” she said.The new CT scanner is expected to serve patients from both the ǁKharas and Hardap regions, with populations of 109 893 and 106 680, respectively."Together, that is a catchment population of 216 573 Namibians who can now access CT scans in southern Namibia, closer to their homes and families,” the minister said.The CT scanner is already operational.“This service will strengthen the management of trauma, stroke, cancer, neurological conditions and many other complex conditions that demand an accurate and timely diagnosis," the minister said.The district hospital now has specialists in several major clinical disciplines, including general surgery, anaesthesiology, internal medicine, paediatrics, urology, nephrology and orthopaedics. It also has a 13-bed intensive care unit and a five-bed dialysis unit serving people with kidney failure.Luvindao said patients received an average of 20 dialysis sessions per month.

Keetmanshoop hospital gets N$13.7m upgrade

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-29

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Keetmanshoop hospital gets N$13.7m upgrade

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-29

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