Despite last week's groundbreaking ceremony for a 500-bed Windhoek district hospital slated for completion in four years, the health ministry has confirmed no bids for construction have been advertised.

The ministry's executive director Ben Nangombe maintained that the project has a clear plan and will be completed by 2027.

"We have a clear plan. The project is a fast-paced one and will be completed by 2027," Nangombe said.

This comes after the Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) confirmed that it had not received a tender regarding the planned hospital.

"Please take note that CPBN did not receive any request from the Ministry of Health and Social Services to facilitate the procurement of this project," CPBN spokesperson Johanna Kambala said.

Meanwhile, Nangombe said the site allocated by the City of Windhoek for the hospital in the Havana informal settlement is virgin land which requires investments, ranging from site clearance and installation of bulk services to environmental assessments, and development of site reticulation services.

"These activities will take place concurrently with documentation for the project, followed by procurement for the construction and eventually commissioning of the new district hospital," Nangombe said.

He said implementation of the project will be funded through the medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) with N$30 million allocated for this year, N$131 million for the next, and N$170 million for the year after.

"The remainder of the required resources will be allocated under future MTEFs to ensure successful completion of the project. The construction of the facility is envisaged to commence during the financial year of 2026/27. The project is being implemented on an expedited basis," Nangombe said.