Isabel Bento

SWAKOPMUND – Mobile populations, including long-distance truck drivers, female sex workers as well as men who have sex with other men, continue to pose unique challenges to health service delivery in the Erongo Region. 

This was according to Maria Hamunyela, a registered nurse with the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) at the Erongo Health Directorate stakeholder’s engagement meeting at Swakopmund on Friday.

“Our biggest challenge is following up with mobile populations. Truck drivers travel long distances, sometimes crossing borders, and female sex workers often relocate, making continuity of care difficult,” Hamunyela said. 

She also highlighted persistent stigma and misconceptions about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which discourage high-risk populations from accessing vital HIV prevention services.

Hamunyela also stressed that budget constraints, worsened by the withdrawal of USAID support, have severely affected clinic operations.

“In the past, we could visit smaller towns frequently, but now outreach to places like Usakos, Omaruru and Karibib is minimal compared to before,” she explained. 

Limited resources, she added, mean that mobile clinics cannot cover as much ground as required, leaving high-risk populations underserved.

To address some of these challenges, Hamunyela recommended strengthening community engagement to reduce stigma, improving client tracking systems, and expanding both mobile and static health services.

The WBCG, a public-private partnership established in 2000, provides a mix of static and mobile wellness clinics, workplace-based programmes, and outreach interventions along major transport corridors.

From January to June, the group reached over 2 000 individuals for HIV testing, linking those who tested positive to treatment and offering PrEP, family planning, mental health support, and STI screening.

– Nampa