By Surihe Gaomas WINDHOEK Namibia awaits a proposal from the Clinton Foundation HIV/Aids Initiative in the United States, which could pave the way for local nurses to undergo further training on health care from that institution. This comes in the wake of a brief visit last September by nursing specialist Anne Sliney from the Clinton Foundation who assessed skills shortages in the nursing field. The foundation provides training for nurses and helps Third World countries build and improve existing heath care facilities. Minister of Health and Social Services Dr Richard Kamwi had meetings with representatives of the foundation during his trip to Toronto, Canada, when he attended the 16th International AIDS Conference last year. According to Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Dr Norbert Foster, the nursing expert was in the country late last year for ten days and compiled an assessment report that determines priorities for nursing staff. “She came to do the assessment and returned to the States after which the Clinton Foundation will put together a proposal and try and get funding for this purpose,” explained Foster. He said after the ministry had canvassed for money from various organisations abroad it secured funds for strengthening and supporting health care. The health ministry faces serious shortages of personnel, especially qualified nurses. This situation ultimately resulted in the government getting the services of Kenyan nurses last year, who are deployed at various hospitals and clinics. Although Namibia has training facilities for nursing professionals, the output of the institutions cannot meet the demand, which is in the region of 1 400 registered and enrolled nurses. And plans are afoot to recruit more Kenyan nurses through the Clinton Foundation if the plans are agreed upon, says Kamwi. This translates into 900 enrolled and more than 500 registered nurses. Lesotho was also faced with a similar situation of a shortage of nurses until the Clinton Foundation intervened by recruiting nurses from Kenya, which has trained thousands of nurses who were previously unemployed. The ministry recruited 103 nurses from Kenya which was described at the time as a drop in the ocean. Namibia trains nursing assistants and enrolled nurses at the ministry’s training institutions in Keetmanshoop, Otjiwarango, Windhoek, Rundu and Oshakati, and registered nurses at the University of Namibia.