It is the first week of school for three of the Haingura sisters, and though they’re understandably apprehensive about their new environment, there’s a sense of renewed hope in the air. Once dimmed by hardship, their dreams for the future are rekindled thanks to the support from the USAID/President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)-funded...
Health
Nangombe: Public healthcare has 12% C-section rate
Chelva Wells The Namibian public healthcare sector performs Caesarean sections (C-sections) for 12% of all births annually, contrasting sharply with the private sector’s 73%. This difference reflects varying practices and resources between the sectors. Executive director in the Ministry of Health and Social Services Ben Nangombe in an interview with Nampa on Tuesday stated that...
Food insecurity affects vulnerable populations … Japan pledges N$9.3m
Poverty eradication minister Doreen Sioka said malnutrition, food insecurity and inadequate healthcare are pressing issues that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. The current statistics show a bleak picture, which indicates 4 188 cases of malnutrition in children under five years old, as well as women diagnosed with anaemia in 2023. “Despite our many strengths, there remains...
Govt constructs clinics to improve healthcare delivery
The establishment of clinics is part of government’s drive to expand and improve access to healthcare services, and to demonstrate commitment to realising the goals of Universal Health Coverage, says health minister Kalumbi Shangula. The construction of health facilities such as the Malengalenga Clinic ensures that patients and clients do not walk long distances to...
Namibia records 28 malaria deaths in 2024
The health ministry says the country recorded 28 deaths from 12 286 malaria cases in 2024 with the Zambezi, Ohangwena, Kavango East, Kavango West and Oshikoto regions reporting the highest number of incidents. Minister of Health and Social Services Kalumbi Shangula said four of the deaths were from Zambezi. Malaria is endemic in 10 out...
Confront inequalities exacerbating health challenges – Geingos
The co-chair of the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemics, Monica Geingos, said to effectively end the AIDS pandemic and prepare for future health crises, there is a need to confront the complex web of inequalities that exacerbate these challenges. The Council is composed of global experts from academia, government, civil society, international development...
Promoting health in hard-to-reach places
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and its stakeholders have been conducting outreach programmes in Kunene to sensitise people about health and nutrition. A resident of Okahozu, Vekoruavi Tjambiru, said she is elated that her 11-month-old baby was checked and is in good health. “I am so happy that my baby was thoroughly checked because I...
Mass TB screening needed at mines
The Chamber of Mines chief executive Veston Malango has admitted that to a certain extent, mines in Namibia have been in denial over the immense presence of tuberculosis (TB), as there is no sufficient screening at sites. “That is because we have not done screening at the mines to establish that we have a problem,...
Erongo: 30 000 chronic respiratory conditions
WALVIS BAY – More than 30 000 people in the Erongo region suffer from chronic respiratory conditions, acting health director Leonard Kabongo has revealed. He said this while receiving a donation of seven oxygen concentrators from ErongoRed recently in Walvis Bay. Kabongo highlighted the urgent need for having adequate oxygen concentrators in the region. He...
New mpox variant detected in Germany: health authority
BERLIN – An infection with the new mpox variant clade 1b has been detected in Germany for the first time, the Robert Koch Institute health authority said yesterday. The infection occurred abroad and was detected last Friday, the institute said, adding that it did not see an increased risk for Germany, but was “monitoring the...