The long-standing Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the Orotta Hospital in Asmara, Eritrea, was in urgent need of renovation. The condition and equipment of the intensive care unit were disastrous: the water supply consisted merely of a single barrel, which was a constant source of massive hygiene problems. Another major shortcoming was the power supply, as the PICU had electricity for only a few hours a day, if at all. Children could not be monitored continuously, posing a life-threatening risk if critical situations were not detected in time. Furthermore, the sensitive technology is not designed for power fluctuations or abrupt power outages, causing newly acquired monitoring screens to break repeatedly. Oxygen and compressed air supplies, which are standard in German intensive care units for ventilation and inhalation therapies, were non-existent.
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ARCHEMED has turned all of this into reality. After six years of planning and construction—largely due to the long break caused by the pandemic—the PICU was opened in April 2024. Through numerous deployments of skilled tradespeople and in cooperation with Eritrean helpers, five broken and completely gutted rooms have been transformed into a pediatric intensive care unit of European standard. After various structural works such as wall breakthroughs and the installation of drywall were completed, all pipes and cables were re-laid behind plaster, sanitary facilities were renewed, and modern electrical installations were fitted. Windows and doors were newly installed, appropriate lighting was added, and tiling and painting work was finished. Oxygen and compressed air were installed so that the technical requirements for ventilation are now met at each of the 12 patient beds. Finally, the ward was equipped with furniture and the necessary medical technology.
The project was completed in April 2024.
Project Management
Norbert Kessler, Civil Engineer, Hösbach
