Swakopmund — The government has strengthened neonatal healthcare in the Erongo region by opening a modern Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Swakopmund District Hospital.
The new facility is designed to boost survival rates for newborns in the region who need specialised care and is part of ongoing efforts to expand and decentralise vital healthcare services across the country.
The hospital, which costs over N$50 million, includes 12 standard care beds, six high-care beds, six intensive care beds, and four isolation beds for infants requiring specialised infection control.
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It also features a 12-bed mother's lodge, which the ministry said will support maternal bonding and breastfeeding by enabling mothers to stay close to their newborns during treatment. Speaking at the inauguration on Friday, Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services Suzan Ndjaleka said the government has prioritised strengthening neonatal care as part of its broader health agenda.
"There is no sound more beautiful, nor more symbolic of hope, than the first cry of a newborn baby," Ndjaleka said. Noting that for many parents, the moment is often followed by anxiety when babies are born prematurely or with complications requiring intensive medical intervention.
According to the ministry, Swakopmund District Hospital records an average of 127 births per month. In the 2023/2024 financial year, 5 401 babies were born in the district, increasing to 5 593 in 2024/2025.
Ndjaleka said that despite high rates of skilled birth attendance, over 90% in the Erongo region, the district previously had only four neonatal incubators, a gap she said could no longer be sustained.
"Hence, this facility supports the ministry's Strategic Plan (2025/2026-2029/2030), which aims to reduce neonatal mortality from 24 deaths per 1000 live births to 10 per 1000 live births by the end of the period," she explained.
She said achieving this target requires decentralised, accessible healthcare services, adding that no parent should be forced to travel long distances or face financial hardship to access life-saving neonatal care.
The ministry has also recruited a multidisciplinary team for the unit, including paediatricians, medical officers, nurses, pharmacists, a radiographer, and hygiene technicians, to ensure full operational capacity. "The inauguration of this NICU is not just the opening of a ward, but a commitment to every newborn child that they deserve the best possible start in life," she said.
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Ndjaleka said the government aims to reduce the need for referrals to Windhoek by strengthening local capacity in Erongo and improving national neonatal care services.
She also highlighted ongoing investments in health infrastructure in the region, including the restoration of the Mondesa Clinic after a fire in February 2025. The facility was rehabilitated at a cost of over N$3 million and reopened in February 2026.
Emergency repairs were carried out across health facilities in Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, and surrounding areas following severe rainfall in 2025, with approximately N$3 million allocated for roof repairs at hospitals and clinics.
The deputy minister said such interventions reflect the government's commitment to maintaining and restoring public health infrastructure, while urging communities to protect and take ownership of facilities.
