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Namibia: Namibia Ranks Top in HIV/Aids Care
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New Era (Windhoek)
30 April 2008
Posted to the web 30 April 2008
Kuvee Kangueehi
Windhoek
The Minister of Health and Social Services Dr Richard Kamwi says Namibia ranks amongst the top five countries which have to date met the commitments made by the Heads of State and Government during the UN Special Session on HIV/Aids in 2006.
He said the ranking is according to the UN Secretary General and World Health Organization (WHO) reports. Kamwi made the remarks last week in the National Assembly when he motivated the budget allocation to the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
Kamwi said in terms of the national target to put 30 000 people on Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ARV), the ministry has surpassed the target and currently has 43 000 people on treatment. He added that according to the WHO, Namibia is leading the African region as far as the paediatrics treatment programme for HIV/Aids is concerned.
He said however during the previous financial year, the country had to deal with outbreaks of two epidemics whose effects could have been catastrophic if they were not well managed. Kamwi said in 2006, just on the eve of WHO declaring Namibia polio-free, the country was confronted by the outbreak of polio with its devastating consequences including severe forms of paralysis and death.
He added that the outbreak caused widespread fear and panic amongst the people but the ministry swiftly coordinated the national response, which surpassed the WHO record. The minister said the country has now successfully eradicated polio. WHO will be sending an expert team of commissioners in June with a view to once again declare Namibia a polio-free country.
Kamwi informed parliament that due to the terrible floods in the north and north-eastern parts of Namibia, the country experienced the second cholera outbreak this year.
He said the second outbreak had severe consequences as over 1 000 people were infected and 13 lives lost. He however noted that indicators suggest that the outbreak has now reached its peak and the epidemic is now on the decline.
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The health minister thanked in particular the WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA as well as three SADC states, namely South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, who sent in technical teams to control the outbreak.
He noted that given the experience of the neighbouring countries, Namibia now has to prepare for cholera becoming an endemic disease. He said the country requires that sanitation be improved considerably over the coming years.
Kamwi also briefly touched on the activities of his ministry during the previous financial year and said some of the highlights are the purchasing of 15 ambulances, the completion of renovation and construction of clinics and two health centers.
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