HEALTH Minister Richard Kamwi on Friday officially opened an ARV clinic at the Otjiwarongo State Hospital.

The clinic was built with financial assistance from the CDC Global fund and the Ministry. Completed in February this year, the clinic has already managed to attract new patients as it presents a clean, private and secure image.

Kamwi said the ARV clinic would provide the region with "more accessible and readily available health services" and coincides with the country's objective of bringing essential health services closer to communities.

Kamwi said countrywide, almost 93 000 patients were receiving HIV care and that in the district of Otjiwarongo, 3 717 patients had enrolled for HIV care and 1 436 were on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART).

Kamwi again called on all State health workers to focus their attention on the reduction of child mortality, improvement of maternal health and the combating of HIV-AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

"We must see to it that no pregnant woman should die in the process of giving life to Namibians," he instructed.

Kamwi said that at the moment, 90 per cent of babies born to HIV-positive women were HIV negative, but he wanted it lifted to 100 per cent.

"I encourage all medical staff to redouble your efforts," he said. And he asked that "all management should make sure that you support the nurses, supply resources. They need our support."

At the opening, Jeff Hansen, the country director of the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) in the US, commended the opening of the ARV clinic and stated that the work done at the clinic "can and do literally pull people back from the brink of death".

Hansen warned the workers on the "front lines of the HIV-AIDS battle" that the ARV pills were powerful, but they "cannot do the whole job."

"The task of enrolling, monitoring, counselling and maintaining patients on these drugs is hard work," he said.

Hansen said the ARV clinic could function as a focal point for the community, as HIV-AIDS was "a disease that impacts families and communities as well as individuals".