The Ministry of Health and Social Services in Namibia has appointed a new contractor to address the ongoing oxygen plant crisis at Mariental District Hospital. The plant, which was switched off in July due to consistent problems, has left patients facing severe delays. Health minister Esperance Luvindao stated that the new company will address the underlying problems rather than continuing with temporary maintenance. This decision was made after repeated maintenance requirements failed to resolve the issues.
The oxygen plant at Mariental District Hospital experienced an explosion on 6 June, after which the supplier was called to address the problem. However, the hospital continued to experience operational problems, prompting the ministry to seek a longer-term solution. The state of the oxygen generation plant came to light when patients with respiratory problems were informed that the hospital had no oxygen intermittently for the past three to four months.
Patients who visited the hospital reported that they were unable to receive treatment due to the lack of oxygen. Some patients were referred to the district hospital from Gibeon clinic, which also lacked oxygen and high-blood pressure medicine. Fransina Kaoseb, a patient, shared her experience of traveling 60km with chest pains and difficulty breathing, only to be told that the hospital could not help her due to the lack of oxygen.
The lack of oxygen at Mariental District Hospital has resulted in patients being treated at a private pharmacy. Kaoseb stated that her family took her to a private pharmacy to be nebulised for 15 minutes, which cost about N$280. The hospital has become heavily reliant on oxygen cylinders as an interim measure to ensure continuity of supply while the main plant is being repaired.
According to Luvindao, the ministry has paid up to N$135 751.06 for oxygen cylinders, which are replenished on a need basis to prevent the hospital from running out. Patients requiring continuous oxygen are currently admitted to the isolation ward, where part of the respiratory unit is served by a smaller-capacity oxygen plant.
Mariental District Hospital received an oxygen-generating plant in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, with a capacity to produce up to 500 litres of oxygen per minute, with purity levels up to 96%. The plant was expected to address the hospital's oxygen needs, but its breakdown has left patients facing severe delays.
The appointment of a new contractor is expected to resolve the oxygen plant crisis at Mariental District Hospital. The ministry's efforts to address the issue have been welcomed by patients and lawmakers, including Lilani Brinkman, who raised concerns about the state of the hospital's oxygen plant in parliament.
Key points
- The Namibian government has appointed a new contractor to fix the oxygen plant at Mariental District Hospital.
- The hospital's oxygen plant broke down in June due to consistent problems.
- Patients have been facing severe delays and have had to seek treatment at private pharmacies due to the lack of oxygen.
