Okavango sub-district finally gets much-needed hospital
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Tuesday October 25, 2022 06:00
For years residents of Okavango have been pleading with the government to build a hospital for them since they have to travel long distances to get health services as far-flung as Maun and Gumare.
The JP Kavindama Primary Hospital will be opened today (Monday). According to Ministry of Health Chief Public Relations Officer, Dr Christopher Nyanga, the services that would be offered include outpatient services, social work services, counselling services, pharmaceutical services, maternity services (labour and delivery, immediate neonatal care, immediate ante-natal care, and immediate post-natal care) and laboratory services.
“The opening of these services to the public marks the second phase of the hospital opening, in line with the President’s pledge to bring health services closer to the people and also in fulfillment of the United Nations Development Goal number three, which aspires for good health and wellbeing of all people by 2030. The first phase was in 2021 when the hospital was used as a COVID-19 isolation centre.
The next phase of the hospital opening will take place in 2023. This will include the opening of all other remaining services like accidents and emergency services, outpatient department services, general consultations, management of communicable and non-communicable diseases, basic physiotherapy services, dietetics services, basic eye services, dental services, radiology x-ray and ultrasound services, and mortuary services,” he said.
Nyanga said the JP Kavindama Primary Hospital is named after the late former Member of Parliament for the area, Joseph Kavindama. So far, the hospital has 70 beds and is expected to be fully operational in 2023.
He admitted that patients will no longer be forced to travel over long distances to Maun and Gumare making it the biggest hospital in the Okavango sub-district.
He said the community will be kept informed on developments at the state-of-the-art hospital. Shakawe has a clinic and its patients have been transferred to Gumare and Maun if critically ill.
The distance from Shakawe to Gumare is 135km and from Shakawe to Maun is 376km.