N$1.1 billion needed to implement surgical healthcare plan

Government will have to cough up N$1.1 billion over five years for the implementation of the National Surgical, Obstetric and Anaesthesia Plan (NSOAP).This is according to senior medical superintendent at Katutura Intermediate Hospital, Dr Nelago Amagulu, who spoke at the launch of the third edition of NSOAP and related documents.Amagulu said the funds will cover infrastructure and equipment, a surgical workforce, service delivery and supplies, and information management over five years from 2023 to 2027.Apart from NSOAP, the ministry also launched its Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Action Plan, its revised guidelines, and the Operation Theatre and Central Sterile Services Departments (CSSD).Unwavering commitment During his keynote address, health minister Kalumbi Shangula said the documents have been in the works for several years and were halted by the Covid-19 pandemic."For the past few years, Namibia has been working on designing a National Surgical, Obstetric and Anaesthesia Plan (NSOAP). The plan has been completed. These plans and guidelines symbolise our unwavering commitment to ensuring equitable access to high-quality healthcare services, with a laser beam focus on strengthening the foundations and different pillars of our healthcare system,” he said.The minister explained that the plan is designed to address the challenges and shortcomings related to the provision of safe surgical, obstetric and anaesthesia healthcare services."These challenges were compounded by the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic," he said.In addition, Shangula said that factors such as population growth, dispersed rural populations, and other public health priorities "have exerted pressures" on the ministry&#039;s ability to provide equitable, high-quality emergency care and relevant services to all those who need them.Poor quality of careThe World Health Organisation (WHO) officer in charge, Dr Mary Brantuo, said WHO in 2020 estimated between 5.7 and 8.4 million deaths were attributed to poor quality care each year in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which represents up to 15% of overall deaths in these countries."Patient safety is a key dimension of the quality of health care, with a focus on instituting strategies for reducing all unnecessary harm to patients. Infection prevention and control are foundational to patient safety and delivering high-quality care to everyone served by health services," she said. Based on 2021–2022 data among 166 countries globally, approximately one in 10 countries do not have any national IPC programme or operational plan, and one in four countries has a programme but is not fully implemented, she added. Brantuo added that this suggests that only 38% of countries reported having an IPC programme fully implemented at the national and healthcare facility level nationwide, with the vast majority representing high-income countries.So far, 10 healthcare facilities and hospitals nationwide have started to implement this programme.

N$1.1 billion needed to implement surgical healthcare plan

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-09-02

Please login to leave a comment

N$1.1 billion needed to implement surgical healthcare plan

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-09-02

Please login to leave a comment

Login