Windhoek – The U.S. government has donated 70 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds worth more than N$700,000. The Ministry of Health and Social Services will distribute the beds to eight health facilities: Katutura, Rundu, Oshakati and Onandjokwe Intermediate Hospitals, Gobabis, Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, and Katima Mulilo hospitals.
During the third COVID-19 wave, many health facilities did not have enough beds to meet the demand. ICU beds, in particular, are important for supporting COVID-19 patients in respiratory distress.
The beds were procured by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the EQUIP Project managed by the South African nonprofit organization “Right to Care”.
“These state-of-the art ICU beds will help improve Namibia’s COVID-19 and non-COVID clinical case management,” said USAID Country Representative, McDonald Homer, at the handover ceremony in the capital.
The U.S. Government will also ship an additional 200 emergency field beds from the United States to Namibia which Namibian Ambassador to the United States Margaret Mensah-Williams sourced through the NGO “Project C.U.R.E.” based in Denver, Colorado.
USAID has worked with “Project C.U.R.E.” on numerous other projects in the past, and the U.S. government is excited to facilitate the transportation of these additional beds to quickly respond to possible future surges in COVID-19 cases.
The Country Representative of USAID called on all Namibians to get vaccinated: “Getting the population vaccinated is key to curbing COVID-19 which has already cost so many lives. Vaccines reduce the risk of serious illness, hospitalization, and death,” said McDonald Homer.
