Nkhata Bay District Hospital opens high dependency unit
Nkhata Bay District Hospital has opened a high dependency unit (HDU) at the facility commissioned in May 2016.
Speaking during the opening of the K10 million unit on Thursday, Nkhata Bay district director of health and social services Mwatikonda Mbendela said the HDU will help in the provision of efficient care to patients in critical conditions.
“We will cut on transport expenses and reduce congestion at Mzuzu Central Hospital,” he said.
HDU nursing officer-in-charge Joseph Ngwira said previously faced problems because they used to accommodate those in critical conditions with the rest of the patients.
He said with the HDU in place, the nurse-patient ratio, previously at 1:45, is expected to decrease.
The unit has been furnished with four beds, two angle lamps, ventilators and customised oxygen supply system.
The development comes days after Siemens South Africa donated an ultrasound scanning machine to the health facility. President Peter Mutharika opened the 350-bed hospital on May 30 2016.
The facility serves a catchment area of about 66 321 people.
