The Katutura Intermediate Hospital (KIS) on Wednesday received a donation of medical equipment from Ohorongo Cement worth N.dollars 1.2 million.
Speaking during the donation handover, Public Relations and Communication Manager for Ohorongo, Esther Mbathera said Government alone cannot ensure health for all, thus the company prioritised health through the Ohorongo Otavi Community Trust (OOCT) and Support.
She said the OOCT delivered the medical equipment as prioritised by the Ministry of Health and Social Services through a technical corporation agreement, to complement existing medical facilities and ensure excellent medical care in public health facilities.
The donation includes 140 wheelchairs, eight nursing chairs, 40 walking frames, 60 commode chairs, 30 hospital beds with matrasses and seven pallets of baby swaddle pads, blood pressure machines and weigh scales, operating theatre tables and anaesthetic machines.
“This public private partnership (PPP) in the public health sector serves to narrow the gap caused by resource constraints as well as improve access to qualify health services,” Mbathera said.
Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services, Juliet Kavetuna who received the donation, said health services personnel had to start being concerned with Government resources and prioritise them to make an impact.
She said of the N.dollars 6.5 billion allocation the ministry received, about N.dollars 3.2 billion would be used for salaries and N.dollars 1.2 billion for pharmaceuticals.
Over N.dollars 2 billion are for the maintenance of 236 clinics, 35 district hospitals and eight State and intermediate hospitals.
Kavetuna said hospital personnel should thus ensure that broken equipment that can be repaired are not thrown out but fixed instead, because the budget was not sufficient.