WINDHOEK - The Permanent Secretary of Health and Social Services, Ben Nangombe, yesterday said the additional N$175 million allocated to the health and social services ministry, which received N$6.5 billion in the main budget, will among others be used to recruit health professionals. 

“Finance is a problem. We can’t say it’s all sufficient (N$175 million) but it’s not all about money but maximising on optimisation,” said Nangombe, who spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the joint meeting of SADC senior officials for health. 

He said there are about 240 medical graduates “coming into the system”.
Commenting on the challenges in the public health sector, Nangombe remarked that in order for Namibians to enjoy the highest quality healthcare possible, there is a need to strengthen all the health systems. 

“Our facilities should be able to provide healthcare but we can’t if infrastructure is not in place,” said the permanent secretary. 
The health ministry, he added, is in the process of addressing the challenges related to infrastructure but especially procuring equipment such as anesthetic machines, X-ray machines and other equipment. 

Nangombe also stressed the issue of deploying medical practitioners where they are most needed. In the meantime, the ministry’s outreach programmes have been addressing the problem of human resources in that the outreach teams deliver medical services in the regions to people who need the services. 

The ministry has also been privileged to receive outreach health services from medical teams outside the country, Nangombe noted.