The Oranjemund Town Council plans to turn the Namdeb Private Hospital into a public-private facility to accommodate residents who cannot afford to use its services. Funds are yet to be allocated for the project scheduled to begin mid-next year. It will be carried out in partnership with the Health and Social Services Ministry. Oranjemund Mayor Henry Coetzee told Nampa news agency Monday that the project was initiated because there is currently no state hospital at the town. Access to health facilities and services remain a challenge as the nearest government hospital is in Lüderitz, almost 400 kilometres away. Coetzee said most residents use the Namdeb Private Hospital, which is not affordable to all. Besides the private hospital, the town has one government health centre, two pharmacies, one dental clinic and an optician. Oranjemund, a closed mining town since 1936, was proclaimed a local authority in 2011 and opened to the public in October 2017.