24/06/2026
(STOLEN)
"Hospital Will Be Built Despite Years of Government Inaction
A letter from the Office of the President dated 9 February 2018 has resurfaced, exposing the extent to which government itself had already settled the question of where the long-promised Northern Academic Referral Hospital should be located.
In the letter, then-President Hage Geingob reminded then Health Minister Bernard Haufiku that Cabinet, through the Cabinet Committee on Overall Policy and Priorities (CCOPP), had already taken a political decision that the Northern Academic Referral Hospital would be situated in Ondangwa or its surrounding area. Geingob expressed concern over attempts to explore alternative sites outside Ondangwa's jurisdiction and urged all stakeholders to respect the Cabinet decision.
The document raises uncomfortable questions about government's ability to implement its own decisions. Despite a clear directive from the highest office in the country and widespread recognition of the need for a modern referral hospital in northern Namibia, the project remains uncompleted almost a decade later.
During this period, northern Namibia has continued to face increasing healthcare demands, with patients often travelling long distances for specialised treatment. Successive governments have repeatedly spoken about improving healthcare infrastructure, yet one of the region's most significant planned health projects remains largely absent from the list of completed achievements.
Ironically, while government struggled to turn policy into reality, the private sector has moved ahead. The International University of Management (IUM) recently announced that it is constructing a state-of-the-art 120-bed private hospital approximately three kilometres northwest of Ondangwa. The facility is expected to open its doors in 2027 and will also serve as a training hospital in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
The contrast is striking. Government had the political decision, the authority and the mandate. Yet years later, it is a private institution that appears closest to delivering the type of advanced healthcare facility that northern communities have long been promised.
For many observers, the situation reflects a broader challenge within government: ambitious announcements are often made, Cabinet resolutions are passed, and plans are unveiled, but implementation remains painfully slow. As a result, development opportunities are delayed, public confidence is eroded, and private actors increasingly step in to fill gaps that should have been addressed by the state.
The emergence of the IUM hospital does not erase the need for a fully-fledged public Northern Academic Referral Hospital. However, it demonstrates that progress is possible when decisions are followed by action.
Nearly eight years after Geingob instructed stakeholders to respect Cabinet's decision, one conclusion is becoming difficult to ignore: the hospital will be built one way or another. The real question is why government, despite making the decision years ago, failed to make it happen first. See less"
Please, be informed Hon. Governor of Oshana, that "WE" are watching you don't try to gamble with our promised referral hospital in 2018 by the Late President Dr. Hage G. Geingob🤔🧐 See less
