Hertta-Maria Amutenja
The ministry of health and social services (MoHSS) has confirmed the sudden death of a two-month-old baby from Kainachas village in the Berseba Constituency, ||Kharas region, and says a post-mortem is underway to determine the cause.
In a media statement issued on Thursday, the ministry acknowledged becoming aware of the incident through social media on 22 July 2025, and confirmed that the infant had died at home on 21 July.
According to the ministry, no signs of illness were noted before or immediately after the child’s immunisations.
“It is important to note that no signs of illness were observed before or immediately after the immunisation,” the ministry stated.
It further explained that the family contacted local nurses on 21 July and reported that the infant was unresponsive.
“On 21 July 2025, the family contacted the nurses via telephone and informed them that the infant was found unresponsive by the mother at home. The police and staff from Berseba clinic attended to the call at home, and it was declared dead on arrival, meaning that the baby unfortunately died at home,” the statement said.
The ministry said the infant’s body was then transported to the Keetmanshoop mortuary, where a post-mortem examination is currently being conducted.
The health ministry denied any allegations of negligence, stating that no complaints had been received before the infant’s death.
“MoHSS wishes to emphasise that no complaints of ill-health with respect to this case were received by the ministry before the incident. While the ministry understands the pain and frustration of the family, we wish to underscore that claims of negligence on the ministry’s part are unfounded,” the statement said.
The ministry also extended condolences to the family and said psycho-social support will be provided as needed.
“We express our condolences to the bereaved family. We share your grief and offer our deepest sympathy during this difficult time.”
It was reported that the 23-year-old mother of the deceased infant had been left waiting for assistance for over eight hours after the child died around 14h30.
The family claimed that they had taken the baby to the Berseba clinic multiple times before the death and raised concerns over the lack of medical supplies and emergency response.
The family reportedly transported the infant’s body to Keetmanshoop themselves after both emergency and police services allegedly failed to respond in time.
