WINDHOEK – Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Richard Kamwi, has implored the Chinese government to consider training Namibians in Chinese traditional medicine. Currently, state patients can only access Chinese treatment at the Chinese Acupuncture Department at the Katutura hospital. “And it is always crowded with people. The time has come to roll over these services to the fourteen regions of the country,” said Kamwi.
Kamwi was speaking to the visiting delegation from the Zhejiang province, which included Chinese medical experts, that donated N$1.9 million to the Ministry of Health and Social Services for the purchasing of three ambulances.
Kamwi asked the delegation led by the vice-governor of the Zhejiang province, Huang Xuming, to consider taking some of the country’s young medical experts for attachments in China. In addition, the Minister of Health and Social Services also asked for Namibians to be trained as medical engineers in China. This, he explained would enable Namibians to maintain medical equipment.
Huang concurred with Kamwi saying Chinese traditional medicine is good and suitable for the grassroots. Huang also promised to attend to other pleas made by the Namibian Minister of Health and Social Services.
The delegation’s visit to the country was birthed from the China Africa health ministers’ conference that took place in China in August. The delegation, which arrived on Saturday and will leave today, comprises of five people from the Zhejiang province. It met with Kamwi, health deputy minister, Petrina Haingura, and Dr Norbert Forster, the deputy permanent secretary in the health ministry.
Kamwi said that transport have proven to be a problem in Namibia when it comes to maternal and child health matters. He explained that expectant mothers sometimes have to walk long distances in accessing health care facilities. “When there are ambulances and outreach vehicles it makes it easier for our mothers to be transported,” said the minister.
Further, expressing gratitude for the monetary donation, Kamwi said that the ambulances would be used to transport expectant mothers so that no mother dies whilst giving birth.
Huang said that Namibia and China enjoy the expressed hope that the ambulances would be used for the “good benefit of the people”.
By Alvine Kapitako