Justicia Shipena
The government has spent N$6.48 million to restore the industrial electrical geyser water heating system at Windhoek Central Hospital.
Minister of works and transport Veikko Nekundi announced the completion of the project during a handover ceremony at the hospital on Wednesday.
The project was completed over seven months by Namibia Engineering Cooperation (NEC) and Pumps (Pty) Ltd, a Namibian-owned company.
Nekundi said the upgrade restores reliable hot water across the hospital and improves conditions for patients and healthcare workers.
“I am proud to provide that this project was undertaken and sincerely delivered at a cost of N$6.48 million over a seven-month period by Namibia Engineering Cooperation (NEC) and Pumps (Pty) Ltd, a Namibian wholly owned enterprise,” he said.
The work included the installation of 14 new industrial geysers with digital control systems.
The geysers now supply hot water to every floor of the main hospital building, from the basement to the seventh floor.
The maternity ward’s hot water system was also refurbished to improve conditions in delivery, antenatal and postnatal areas.
Nekundi said old galvanised pipes were replaced with corrosion-resistant fusiotherm plastic pipes.
He added that electrical distribution boards across service areas were also upgraded and the systems were tested and commissioned to ensure they operate properly.
Nekundi said the upgrade ensures that key hospital areas such as theatres, wards and the kitchen now have access to hot water.
He said reliable infrastructure remains important for the delivery of healthcare services.
“When our hospitals are well-equipped and well-maintained, our health workers can focus on what matters most: the people in their care,” Nekundi said.
The contractor will maintain the system for the next 12 months under a retention agreement.
Nekundi stated that minor repairs will be handled by the ministry’s internal technical team.
The restoration follows concerns raised last year by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who said Windhoek Central Hospital had been without hot water for about 10 years.
Health minister Esperance Luvindao commissioned the restored system during the same event. She said hospitals must provide conditions that support dignity, safety and hygiene for patients and healthcare workers.
“When we visualise a hospital, we often focus on the medicine, the doctors, the surgeries, and the treatments. But true healing demands more than clinical intervention. Healing requires an environment of dignity. It requires the warmth of a clean ward and the fundamental comfort of hot water,” she said.
According to Luvindao, the restored system will improve conditions for patients, mothers and healthcare workers.
“Warm water is not a luxury. It is a non-negotiable symbol of the respect we owe to every Namibian person who entrusts us with their life,” she said.
She said basic infrastructure such as water, electricity and safe facilities form the foundation of a functioning healthcare system.
“A resilient health system cannot exist on medical expertise alone; it must be built on the bedrock of unshakeable infrastructure,” she said.
Caption
Minister of works and transport Veikko Nekundi and minister of health and social services Esperance Luvindao pictured with the staff of Windhoek Central Hospital during the handover of the restored hot water system on Wednesday.
- Photo: MoHSS
