United States (U.S.) Government Donates Mobile Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to Walvis Bay State Hospital

On July 15, 2024, the U.S. Embassy in Namibia participated in a handover ceremony with the Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) at the Walvis Bay State Hospital.  In attendance was Mr. Ben Nangombe, Executive Director of the Ministry of Health and Social Services as well as many other senior government and esteemed local leaders. During the ceremony Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Tiffany Miller formally handed over a state-of-the-art mobile Intensive Care Unit, or ICU on behalf of the U.S. government.

The ICU is valued at 20 million Namibian dollars and was funded through the United States Department of Defense’s Overseas Humanitarian Disaster and Civic Aid Program, known as OHDACA.

The 5-bed ICU is designed to provide MoHSS with the ability to not only serve the local population of Walvis Bay, but also deploy the ICU to other locations in response to a possible medical crisis. The system has self-sufficient, dual generator power, water and sewage systems and air conditioning allowing it to operate autonomously in the field.  It is also stocked with 600,000 Namibian Dollars of medicine to ensure the ICU is ready for operations.

A team of Namibian personnel to include doctors and nurses from MoHSS were trained in all aspects of the system set up as well as the individual pieces of medical equipment within the ICU.

In her remarks, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Miller stated, “By partnering with Namibia to enhance critical baseline medical infrastructure, we enhance the nation’s health security. We also enable Namibia to respond to potential future pandemics as well as health emergencies and natural disasters, which positively affects the region as a whole.”

The donation in Walvis Bay is part of a larger medical infrastructure donation package valued at over 130 million Namibian dollars that will be spread across four regions in Namibia. This is the largest OHDACA donation to Namibia since its independence and signifies the commitment of the American people to help ensure every Namibian has access to medical care.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Namibia.