The critical condition of hospital power The state of public healthcare in our country is something that has been bothering many of us for years. Many people look upon health as a social sector, which like education, should remain a strategic government priority. Unfortunately we are not doing enough to ensure that public healthcare in Namibia is dragged out of the state of emergency that it finds itself in. The events at the Windhoek Central Hospital on Monday where critically ill patients were transferred to private hospitals following a power outage in the intensive care unit (ICU) tells a depressing story. It is so sad that a four-month-old baby unfortunately died after this chaotic episode.
The power outage on Monday left various parts of the hospital including the ICU dark for varying amounts of time and jeopardised patient health. According to health officials, the standby generator could not function well to appease situation. The Windhoek Central Hospital is probably one of the best public hospitals in the country and an important centre for many Namibians, especially the poor, who can’t afford private medical aid. And like many other public hospitals, it seems the state is running these institutions in a laissez faire manner, which puts patients’ health at risk.
It is really sad that dedicated staff who truly want to make a difference are left frustrated by little government intervention when it comes to improving the sector. You still find state ambulances that are not fitted with basic life support equipment to this day. Just because our public health centres are frequented by the poor doesn’t mean we should dish out poor services.
What is government actually going to do now to ensure the protection of vital equipment from disruptions like power failure? Power outages are unpredictable, yes, but without a corrective-action plan, we will continue to hear about many deaths linked to power outages. It is, therefore, critical that the authorities make provision for the purchasing of large generators as a third level of backup for all our major hospitals across the country. The poor should not be denied their dignity, even when sick.