Oshakati mental health ward ‘worse than prison’

Conditions at Oshakati Intermediate Hospital’s mental health facility are so poor that a parliamentary oversight committee was told patients would be better off in prison.

The committee found the facility was old, too small and unsuitable for patients, while the wider hospital faced overcrowding, medicine shortages and frustrated staff.

In its oversight report, the parliamentary standing committee on gender equality, health and social welfare said the mental health facility was built before independence and serves patients from northern regions, including Kavango.

Their findings were compiled following oversight visits to health facilities across 10 regions last year, between 21 July and 29 August 2025.

“Members were informed that it was far better for patients to be kept in prison than to be kept in such a facility,” the report states.

The committee highlighted the need for a separate mental health facility, with the existing unit housed within the hospital.

Members were also told mental health in the region is a growing crisis, requiring urgent attention, particularly because of high numbers of suicide cases.

Stretched thin

The concerns form part of broader findings about pressure on Oshakati Intermediate Hospital, which was inaugurated in July 1966.

During the committee’s visit, the hospital had 737 admitted patients.

The committee found that the absence of a district hospital in Oshana was affecting how the intermediate hospital operated. Its casualty department, intended to attend to emergencies, was functioning as an outpatient department.

The report also raised concerns about maternity care, stating that Oshana had only one maternity unit, located at Oshakati.

According to the committee, the region ranked highest nationally for maternal and newborn deaths. The extract provides no mortality figures or period for that ranking.

Medicine shortages were another concern. Members were informed that patients could visit the hospital more than twice without receiving their prescribed medication and had to obtain medicines from private pharmacies.

The report lists inadequate infrastructure, a lack of medical equipment, staff shortages and shortages of medicines and other clinical supplies among the hospital’s challenges.

Frustrated and stretched

Staff members were described as frustrated and under mental strain because of the working environment and their inability to provide adequate answers to patients.

The committee also noted upgrades to the intensive care unit and theatre departments. Work began in 2024, with the first phase expected to be completed in December 2025. The extract does not establish whether that deadline was met.

Limited operating hours at surrounding health centres added to the concerns. Apart from Okatana, the report states that health centres did not operate around the clock, opening from 08:00 until 17:00, or until 19:00 where hours were extended.