A total of 29 malaria cases were reported at the Oshakati Intermediate Hospital in December 2023.

This is a stark increase of 25 cases over the same month last year.

The Oshakati Intermediate Hospital's Medical Superintendent, Dr. Ruben Kanime, says of the 29 cases recorded in December 2023, 22 were tested at the hospital, while seven were referred from district hospitals.

The increase, he says, was sparked by good rain received earlier in the year.

Renowned medical gynecologist Dr. Naftali Hamata died this morning at the Ongwediva Medipark, aged 78.

Dr. Hamata has over the decades built a reputation in the country's medical fraternity as well as playing a role in the liberation struggle, where he received a national medal in 2004 for his contributions to independence.

Dr. Hamata served as the Medical Superintendent of the Oshakati Hospital in 1990 and the Regional Director of Health and Social Services in 1997.