State pays N$50 million a year for dialysis

Jemima BeukesWINDHOEKThe ministry of health spends more than N$50 million per year on dialysis services at private facilities. State patients are referred elsewhere because the ministry has a shortage of dialysis chairs.The ministry currently has about 20 dialysis chairs around the country, including the latest six at a prefabricated centre originally set up for Covid-19 at Katutura hospital’s respiratory unit.Executive director Ben Nangombe said the ministry has implemented a campaign to increase the number of dialysis chairs around the country as this service is in urgent demand.“You know, non-communicable diseases have become very prevalent in the country and there is a demand for this service.“We have many patients and what we have is not sufficient for all of them. The nature of these diseases is that treatment cannot be delayed, which is why we refer them to private facilities,” he said.He added that while they anticipate to see a significant decline in public spending on dialysis services once more chairs are acquired by government, some patients will still be referred to private facilities if there are state capacity constraints.The ministry is looking to roll out these services to Keetmanshoop, Rundu and Katima Mulilo, he said.Foreign recruitsLast year, health minister Dr Kalumbi Shangula told parliament that once this project is up and running, they will have to recruit qualified staff from outside Namibia’s borders, as the country only has a handful of dialysis staff, which includes a dedicated physician, a nephrologist, dialysis nurses and nutritionists.“We will have to recruit these cadres from outside the country for the interim, while we train our own. The government has funded two Namibians who are currently undergoing training as nephrologists outside the country.“Given the number of new dialysis units that are envisaged to be established around the country, the ministry will have to provide on-the-job training to more identified nurses to serve as dialysis nurses for these new units,” he said at the time.jemima@namibiansun.com

State pays N$50 million a year for dialysis

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-07-14

Please login to leave a comment

State pays N$50 million a year for dialysis

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-07-14

Please login to leave a comment

Login