Namibia: Katima Hospital Eyes Intermediate Status
[New Era] Katima Mulilo District Hospital refers an average of 30 patients every month to referral hospitals outside the Zambezi region.
Katima Mulilo District Hospital is seeking to elevate its status to that of an intermediate hospital, as announced by Health Minister Dr Esperance Luvindao in the National Assembly. The hospital currently refers an average of 30 patients every month to referral facilities outside the Zambezi region, with Windhoek Central Hospital, Intermediate Hospital Katutura, and Rundu Intermediate Hospital being the primary destinations for specialized medical interventions.
Health Ministry records show that 372 referrals were made between April 2024 and March 2025, primarily for medical cases (94), orthopaedic cases (69), and pediatric cases (49), alongside 14 maternity, nine gynaecology, and 13 oncology cases.
The government is working towards transforming the hospital into an intermediate facility through infrastructure development, recruitment of qualified health professionals, and gradually introducing specialized services, including dialysis, advanced radiological imaging, and a dedicated air ambulance service. Although an Intensive Care Unit and specialist doctors have already been added, the project's feasibility is being assessed through a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
The feasibility study is expected to commence this year, with implementation anticipated to begin early next year. Luvindao highlighted that delays in hospital development projects are often due to funding constraints and that the government is pursuing PPP options for various hospital upgrades and expansions under NDP6.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
