THE new accommodation facility at the Outapi District Hospital for expectant mothers is set to be completed in February 2020, Omusati regional health director Alfons Ammomo has said.
Responding to questions sent to him by Nampa on Thursday, Amoomo said the current accommodation for pregnant women at the hospital can only house up to 83 people.
“Currently, we have [a] new structure which is being constructed by the Social Security Commission and is expected to be completed by February 2020,” he said, adding that it is expected to accommodate 200 people.
Amoomo said some pregnant women refuse to enter the structures due to traditional beliefs which poses as a challenge to accommodate them, while some women come to the facility too early to qualify to be accommodated.
“This structure is only meant to accommodate pregnant women at 36 weeks (nine months) and above or with a medical condition, but some women come at five or six months, which makes them not to qualify to be accommodated and some come under the influence of alcohol,” he added.
A recent visit to Outapi by Nampa unearthed that there are pregnant women sleeping in tents around the vicinity of the hospital.
Amoomo said the women in tents are from the neighbouring districts as well as Angolan nationals.
He, however, said women should not just come to the area, thinking that they will be accommodated because they are pregnant, because pregnancy is not a sickness, and only those about to deliver will be accommodated.
– Nampa
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