The World Health Organisation’s director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus commended the Namibian government for the way it handled the Covid-19 pandemic.
“There are many challenges in the world, but you have shown that it is possible – and building systems, processes and institutions is possible, meaning democracy is possible and that ownership of problems is possible and when you do that, progress is also possible,” Ghebreyesus said.
He said, during the difficult times of Covid-19, Namibia showed the world, specifically Africa, how the world can be unfair.
“From the distribution of vaccines, there was something I call vaccine nationalism or greed, and there were countries hoarding vaccines – and because of that, we paid dearly. This has to be addressed; humanity has to realise that this is one world, and equity and access to vaccines, especially during the pandemic, would be possible,” said the doctor.
He said WHO is working hard to bring strategic solutions to the problems faced during the pandemic.
Health minister Dr Kalumbi Shangula took the opportunity to inform the WHO head that although Namibia has diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and HIV, the country has these illnesses under control.
“We are working closely with Africa CDC, and Namibia is a close participant in the activities. Namibia is also one of the countries that has ratified the African Medicine Agency at the treaty. We are building up that institution to ensure the medicine on the continent is safe and efficacious,” stated Shangula.
“Here, in Namibia, we are faced with many health challenges; we have a burden of communicable diseases. TB, malaria and HIV were a big problem, but it’s now under control. We now have issues with non-communicable diseases. We have cases of hypertension and diabetes – and these are overwhelming the health sector,” stated Shangula.
President Geingob said the first wave of African leaders were extraordinary persons and then came the second, who were caught up in the cold war of confusion.
“The third wave is of leaders who are coming through constitutional means. Nothing is perfect; no democracy or election is perfect. There are reversals and coups. We need to own up to our African problems, solve them and provide African solutions.
I am trying to be a third-wave leader,” he stated.