Distance no longer a death sentence

A 12-year-old boy who needed urgent medical attention died while waiting to be transferred from Katima Mulilo to Windhoek, a tragedy that has now become one of the reasons behind Namibia’s first State-owned air ambulance service.

The boy’s death, followed by the loss of patients who could not be transported quickly enough after a road accident along the Otjiwarongo road, exposed the cost of delays in Namibia’s emergency healthcare system.

Health minister Esperance Luvindao recounted the painful experiences on Wednesday as the country officially launched its first State-owned air ambulance service,

a move expected to reduce the time critically ill and injured patients spend travelling to specialised hospitals.

“Unfortunately, in the early hours of the next morning, I got a call that this 12-year-old boy had passed away,” Luvindao said, recalling the incident involving the patient from Katima Mulilo.

“This was heartbreaking. Because I knew that a young life had just been lost,” she narrated. The minister said another emergency occurred in April 2026 when a road accident along the Otjiwarongo road left patients needing urgent transportation to Windhoek. “Unfortunately, this was not possible and lives were lost,” she said.

The experiences, she said, forced the health ministry to look for solutions that could save lives while the government continues with plans to build more hospitals.

The launch, officiated by Vice President Lucia Witbooi in Windhoek, marks a major change in how the country intends to respond to medical emergencies, particularly in remote areas where patients face long journeys to reach referral hospitals.

For patients who need urgent specialist care, the difference between reaching a hospital in time and waiting hours could determine whether they survive.

Witbooi said the service was intended to ensure that a person’s chances of survival were not determined by where they live.

“No Namibian should lose their life simply because they live far from a hospital,” she said.

She added that the country’s vast geographical size and the distance between remote communities and referral hospitals had long created challenges for emergency medical care.

The air ambulance is expected to reduce some journeys that take hours by road to minutes or a few short hours by air, depending on the distance and emergency.

The service includes a Learjet air ambulance equipped with medical equipment to provide critical care during flights.

Government Air Transport Services will provide aircraft and pilots in collaboration with the ministries of health and works and transport. It will also use helicopter evacuation services through cooperation with the Namibian Police and the Namibian Defence forces to respond to emergencies in areas where helicopters are needed.

Specialised medical personnel will accompany patients requiring urgent care, while emergency service centres at national referral hospitals will help ensure patients receive treatment immediately after landing.

Luvindao said the service was developed as a practical response to the country’s healthcare challenges, rather than waiting for the construction of more referral hospitals.

“While we build those hospitals, Namibians want service. While we build those hospitals, there is another 12-year-old boy that might have severe head injuries and need urgent transportation. And so it is our role to make a plan, not just for the future, but for now,” she said. She said the government was working towards constructing four hospitals in the coming years, but acknowledged that such projects require substantial financial resources and time.

The air ambulance, she said, would complement existing ground ambulance services and provide an additional option for patients whose conditions require urgent specialist intervention.

The ministry has also activated an emergency callcentre to coordinate requests, verify referrals and dispatch the service.

Luvindao said the centre would serve as a single point of coordination to ensure that patients with justified medical needs are transferred promptly.

The service will prioritise patients who require urgent specialist treatment, including those with serious trauma, neurological, cardiac and obstetric emergencies, as well as patients whose conditions make road transport unsafe or too slow.

The initiative requires cooperation between the health sector, aviation authorities, emergency responders and security institutions. – [email protected]

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