Namibia suspends non-emergency operations at state hospitals as COVID-19 cases surge

By XINHUA

Namibia’s Health Ministry has suspended non-emergency or non-urgent operations at two of its state hospitals.

“Only emergency and urgent operations will be performed in theaters until further notice,” Health Ministry executive director Ben Nangombe said in a statement Monday. “Management should find lasting solutions to the oxygen crisis.”

The ministry said last week that hospitals, especially state-owned ones, were overwhelmed with admissions and also grappling with oxygen shortages.

“We have created additional physical spaces in other areas of hospitals to cater for the increases,” Nangombe said. “We have requested the Namibian Defense Force to re-deploy the field hospital reinforcements from other parts of the country.”

As of Sunday, Namibia had registered 58,707 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 912 related deaths, as the country battles a third wave of coronavirus infections.

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