President Hage Geingob said as a government with love and concern for the humanity of all people, they remain committed to the constant improvement of Namibia’s healthcare infrastructure.
Ultimately, he wants Namibia to reach a high standard of professional health service delivery in public health institutions that will reduce the current gap between private and public sector health
institutions.
Therefore, noting the importance of and demand for healthcare services, Geingob indicated that the government will continue to invest in research and development, promoting innovation and technology, and driving greater cross-sector and cross-professional collaboration in the area of healthcare. Geingob inaugurated a N$340 million state-of-the-art medical training complex at the University of Namibia’s Dr Hage Geingob campus.
Among the services of the new facility is a dental clinic for the public.
The clinic will be divided into two sections, namely the student training cubicle wing and the private wing. The students’ cubicle wing will be designated for the clinical training of students.
In this cubicle, patients will be treated by students under the direct supervision of a lecturer or specialist. The private wing will be offering general and specialised dental services, which will be given by Unam lecturers or dental specialists to the general public.
The clinic belongs to Unam, but will open and cater for the dental needs of the general public. It will accommodate medical aid patients, and even those without it.
“Together, as government, institutions of higher education, the private sector and development partners, we can safeguard the health and well-being of all Namibian citizens as well as those of our neighbours and friends. As we celebrate this fruit of collaborative effort, let this achievement spur us on to pursue greater things as a collective,” Geingob stated.
The President stressed that this success should inform future endeavours so that they may continue to hold hands as a united society, driven by a common purpose to take Namibia and its citizens towards an era of enhanced technology, world-class research and advanced healthcare for all.
The development of the Namibian public health sector is, therefore, a key part of the second National Development Plans and strategies toward the long-term aspirations of Vision 2030.
He furthermore observed that without adequate facilities and expertise to address health issues, all the government’s ambitions would become meaningless.
Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Unam has been collaborating with the health ministry to offer assistance in terms of additional healthcare workers, Covid-19 testing, and in more recent times, championing funding for vaccination campaigns, personal protective equipment and oxygenators through international partnerships.
Geingob commended these sterling efforts, and was pleased by the fact that institutions of higher learning are developing the expertise and know-how in order to assist the government in fighting current and future pandemics.
–anakale@nepc.com.na