KidsOR Opens Refurbished Children’s Operating Room in Namibia

KidsOR, Windhoek Central Hospital Partner to Open a Refurbished Children’s Operating Room

Windhoek Central Hospital has officially launched an operating theatre dedicated to children.

The pediatric theatre refurbished courtesy of a health charity, Kids Operating Room (KidsOR), received approximately 3,100 items of surgical equipment at a cost of USD 300,000.

The ribbon cutting of the dedicated pediatric theatre

Speaking when officiating the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Minister of Health in Namibia, Hon. Dr. Kalumbi Shangula expressed profound gratitude to the charity for the support in renovating the theatre noting its significance. “It is the ministry of health’s priority to offer safe, accessible, and quality surgical services to all children in Namibia, and the renovated pediatric theatre is strong support to us achieving this priority. It is the first theatre in state hospitals in the entire country that is child friendly, a milestone in the Namibian health we appreciate greatly.”

Adding to the Minister’s sentiments, the Head of the Department of Pediatric Surgery at Windhoek Central Hospital, Dr. Kondjela S. Hamunyela said: “KidsOR has offered us an opportunity to be on a platform that will propel our pediatric surgical services to a high standard. They have opened a door for us which could have taken us many years to reach. Thank you to all the donors of KidsOR.”

Also at the occasion, KidsOR Director for Africa Rosemary Mugwe acknowledged the role and impact the hospital has in meeting healthcare for all: “I take note that Windhoek Central Hospital serves as one of the two government hospital in the city hence key in the provision and access of healthcare for all. This Operating Room is much needed to ensure children receive quality surgical care in a timely manner.”

The theatre, further, will enable the institution to train more pediatric surgeons and anesthetists as these State-of-the-Art theatres are training grounds for pediatric staff.

This in turn means an increase in the number of pediatric workforce in the country which has a ripple effect towards achieving access to quality healthcare and health system strengthening.

As reported in other countries where KidsOR has installed similar pediatric theatres, the number of children receiving surgery at this state hospital is expected to intensify as hospitals are able to take up more cases of various ailments, from simple surgeries to complex ones.

The pediatric age group constitutes more than 50 percent of the Sub-Saharan African population. KidsOR works with Ministries of Health, hospitals, and local surgical teams to transform hospital spaces into dedicated Operating Rooms for children’s surgery.

Since 2018, KidsOR, in Kenya operates from Nairobi Garage // Karen and has installed over 55 pediatric rooms across Africa and Latin America facilitating over 78,000 life-changing operations.