Staff Reporter
NAMIBIA on Monday inaugurated its first dedicated, fully equipped Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in the public health sector at Windhoek Central Hospital, in a N$28 million investment aimed at cutting child mortality.
Officially opening the unit, Minister of Health and Social Services Esperance Luvindao said that the inauguration was a continuation of the legacy of Namibia’s paediatric and intensive care pioneers, including Drs Solly Amadhila, Baard, Kuit and Professor Rodney Ligtman.
She said that the facility is not simply a new hospital wing, but a declaration of government’s commitment to child survival.
“Today is not simply about opening a new hospital unit. It is a bold declaration of our commitment to the future of healthcare in Namibia. It is about a commitment to survival, and the unwavering belief that every Namibian child deserves better healthcare,” she said.
The minister said the PICU is critical to achieving national and global child health targets. Under the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6), Namibia aims to reduce its neonatal mortality rate from 24 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024 to 10 by 2030, and under-five mortality from 41 to 25 per 1,000 live births.
While prevention through the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health strategy and community health workers remains the cornerstone of Universal Health Coverage, Luvindao said the health system needs an “unbreakable safety net” for critically ill children.
Previously, Windhoek Central Hospital operated a limited six-bed arrangement that lacked modern capacity, forcing costly and risky transfers to private facilities. Between 2022 and 2026, that unit admitted 1,090 children, with 929 discharged and a mortality rate of about 14.5 percent.
The new unit, funded through a government investment of N$17.87 million in equipment and N$9.6 million in infrastructure, features expanded capacity, isolation units, advanced oxygen systems, cardiac monitors and state-of-the-art ventilators. Government targets a reduction in PICU mortality to below 2.5 percent.
Luvindao said technology alone does not save lives, crediting doctors, nurses and support staff as “quiet heroes” and noting heavy investment in specialised training for paediatricians, intensivists and nurses.
She urged staff to uphold integrity and compassion and highlighted the Complaints Management Standard Operating Procedure launched on 12 June 2026 as a tool for learning and accountability, not fear.
The facility was also designed for family-centred care, recognising parents as partners in recovery, she said.
While located in Khomas, the PICU will serve as a national referral centre for critically ill children countrywide, with plans to expand similar capabilities to regional and intermediate hospitals.
Luvindao thanked private-sector partners Bank of Namibia and TotalEnergies for contributions made last week, as well as architects, engineers and hospital management.
“The true measure of this facility will not be the N$28 million spent, nor the number of monitors humming in these rooms. Its true measure will be the children who take their first full breath on a ventilator, and the families who are handed back their healthy children,” she said.
Photo: Ministry of Health and Social Services-Namibia
