PDM leader McHenry Venaani said the situation in Namibian hospitals is a gross human rights violation and must be considered treasonous.

Venaani said this during his Real State of the Nation Address in Windhoek Monday.

“Our health system is collapsing. Our hospitals are in deplorable condition. Just opposite the new N$700 million Swapo headquarters, the Katutura State Hospital is in state of disaster,” he said, adding that the sanitary conditions are horrible.

According to Venaani, rats and mice have infiltrated the hospital and there are no medicine and equipment, while food given to patients is meagre, unhealthy, and insufficient.

Expectant mothers, he further said, are delivering babies on bare matrasses; theatre cases are being delayed due to lack of staff, lack of oxygen supply and sterile equipment.

Venaani said there are only 8 ICU beds in Windhoek Central Hospital: only 6 ICU beds at Oshakati Hospital and only 4 ICU beds in Onandjokwe Hospital.

“What you read in the newspapers’ SMS pages about the state of our health facilities and the working condition of healthcare workers does not come close to what is happening on the ground, it is much worse,” he said.

PDM, Venaani said, suggests an expansion of ICU bed capacity in the health facilities, training of nurses to specialize in critical care and paying ICU allowance to staffs working in the intensive care unit.

He also said there a need to solve the water problem in Namibia, especially in Opuwo and Etanga Village situated in Kunene Region, Okatope Village situated in Ohangwena Region, Amarika in the Omusati Region and Mpungu settlement in the Kavango West region are key areas that are deprived of access to clean water.

“The PDM suggest the developments of desalination plants along the coast and create a cross waterline to pump water into the interior for aggressive agricultural modernization and diversification,” he said.

He added that with the PDM in power, they will build earth dams in all villages to improve catchments and decrease the burden on farmers.

We will pursue the installation of water points, not more than 100m from communities to ensure that potable water is within easy reach.