First public child ICU aims to 'dramatically' slash deaths

Health minister Dr Esperance Luvindao says Namibia is “aggressively targeting a dramatic reduction in deaths” among critically ill children in Namibia, with a new N$28 million paediatric intensive care unit (Picu) million unit aiming to bring paediatric intensive-care mortality down from about 14.5% to below 2.5%.

Luvindao announced the target on Monday during the inauguration of the new facility, which she described as Namibia’s first dedicated and fully equipped paediatric intensive-care facility in the public health sector.

The new Picu replaces the hospital’s previous six-bed intensive-care arrangement, which admitted approximately 1 090 children between 2022 and 2026. Of these, 929 were discharged successfully, while the overall mortality rate stood at about 14.5%.

“By combining modern infrastructure with highly skilled clinical teams, our strategic target is to drive paediatric ICU mortality down to below 2.5%," Luvindao said.

She said the previous setup lacked the capacity and modern equipment required to meet the country’s growing healthcare demands, resulting in some critically ill children being transferred to private facilities.

The new investment comprises N$17.87 million in medical equipment and N$9.6 million in infrastructure upgrades.

The upgraded unit has eight beds and four isolation beds, as well as advanced oxygen-flow systems, cardiac monitors and modern ventilators.

Luvindao said government intends to expand specialist intensive-care capabilities to other regional and intermediate hospitals.

Health targets

The investment forms part of broader government efforts to reduce child mortality. Namibia’s 2024 neonatal mortality rate stands at 24 deaths per 1 000 live births, while the under-five mortality rate is 41 deaths per 1 000 live births.

Government has set targets of reducing these figures to 10 and 25 deaths per 1 000 live births, respectively, by 2030.

Luvindao said achieving these targets would require both prevention and access to quality curative services for children who become critically ill.

She also stressed that the success of the new unit would depend on healthcare workers, including paediatricians, intensivists and specialised nurses, who have been trained to operate the facility.

Luvindao said achieving these targets would require both prevention and access to quality curative services for children who become critically ill.

She also stressed that the success of the new unit would depend on healthcare workers, including paediatricians, intensivists and specialised nurses, who have been trained to operate the facility.