Covid-19: Donations keep public health system afloat

Good Samaritans’ donations of much-needed healthcare equipment for the country&#039;s public health system played a major role in keeping the system afloat during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, statistics released by the health ministry indicate.Government found itself in a health conundrum between 2020 and 2022 while the pandemic claimed thousands of lives, partly due to the public health system&#039;s inability to cope with the number of patients and its limited financial resources.Official statistics show that from January 2020 to August 2023, Namibia recorded 171 998 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 4 098 deaths.During the pandemic, about 20 341 health equipment items were donated by various stakeholders. The ministry only procured about 1 315 items during this period.The equipment ranged from intensive care unit (ICU) ventilators, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, ultrasound machines, oxygen concentrators, defibrillators, infusion pumps, humidifier bottles, electrocardiogram machines, endoscopic units, X-ray machines, infant incubators, and dialysis machines, among others.The equipment, health authorities said, bolstered government&#039;s arsenal during the fight against the deadly virus.CracksDespite having managed to bring the situation under control, the country&#039;s public health system post-Covid-19 continues to give health authorities sleepless nights.The cracks in the system were recently exposed after parliamentarians - who visited healthcare facilities in the Zambezi and Kavango West regions respectively - experienced first-hand the conditions under which healthcare workers have to deliver healthcare services.From broken laundry machines and cooling units for preserving medicines not working to huge backlogs of beds, inadequate number of staff, medicine shortages and a tedious procurement system, the situation on the ground proved dire.According to health ministry executive director Ben Nangobe, the ministry is rolling out several projects across the country aimed at improving the delivery of healthcare services.He added that the ministry has already provided extensive "information and clarifications" regarding the system’s shortcomings."The observations come in the aftermath of information shared and reports written following visits to public health facilities by the honourable members of the National Council Standing Committee on Health, Social Welfare and Labour Affairs.”Nangobe said the ministry is in the process of appointing a contractor to fix the malfunctioning cooling equipment at the Rundu Medical Store, which poses danger to the storage lifespan of medicine worth over N$20 million.Faulty equipment fixedAt the Sibbinda Health Centre in Zambezi, faulty equipment also resulted in members of the public not receiving adequate healthcare.One of the health officials at the centre, Lawrence Napulaga, said the equipment has since been fixed."It is working very well. The ministry came and fixed it about five months ago," he said last week.

Covid-19: Donations keep public health system afloat

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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Covid-19: Donations keep public health system afloat

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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