Critical challenges for health

The Ministry of Health is crippled by major challenges impeding service delivery to the Namibian public. The assessment of the health ministry's performance in the 2016/17 financial year lists these challenges that it still endures in delivering health care services to the public. The ministry's budget for this financial year is 6.51 billion with a budget cut of 6.34%.According to the ministry it is experiencing a shortage of critically skilled frontline health workers and technical staff. The ministry says that there is also a lack of essential infrastructure and equipment which is resulting in referral hospitals being persistently overcrowded with bed occupancies of above 100%. Another challenge identified by the ministry is the shortage of medical equipment and ambulances which it says leads to deaths and other injuries. There is also a challenge with poor maintenance and ageing infrastructure and a lack of basic and life-saving equipment at health centres and district hospitals.According to the ministry's assessment there has been an increased demand for services in both communicable and non-communicable diseases and other social ills. It says that there is also a lack of a proper supply chain system to obtain required pharmaceuticals, clinical supplies and other related commodities.In spite of these damning challenges, the ministry also elaborated on some of its successes during the past financial year and it said the procurement and distribution of pharmaceuticals and related supplies to all public health facilities were done according to their demands. The overall service level has improved from 70.5% in the first quarter to 75% in the second quarter. The 75% is made up of ARVs (87.6%), pharmaceutical (63.9%) and clinical supplies (83.3%).A total of 11 139 babies born from HIV-positive mothers of which 7 146 were tested for HIV and a total of 245 infants tested positive which translates into about 3% transmission rate, lower than the national elimination target of under 4% by 2015.The ministry has managed to maintain 87% ART coverage as per National Strategic Framework set targets of 84%.Furthermore the ministry embarked on national medical outreach services since May 2015. The programme aimed at bringing medical services closer to people by mobilising health professionals to make their services available on a voluntary basis to the communities. During the reporting period, a total of 502 operations were carried out, of which 114 was performed by the health minister.ELLANIE SMIT

Critical challenges for health

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-05

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Critical challenges for health

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-05

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