The University of Namibia (Unam) on Monday inaugurated its first campus pharmacy at the Hage Geingob Campus in the capital.

The pharmacy, inaugurated by the university’s Vice Chancellor, Kenneth Matengu, is the second of its kind in Africa after the University of Cape Town’s facility, and is also open to the public. In his address, Matengu highlighted that establishing such facilities offers an opportunity for students to acquire practical experience.

“That’s what we do by having such facilities that our students can learn in practice,” he noted.

Matengu said Unam is setting the bar for the rest of Africa by establishing such a facility.

“This pharmacy we are opening today is only the second on the continent. The other one is at the University of Cape Town. So we are, I think, also setting standards for the continent,” he indicated.

He went on to affirm the university’s commitment to producing graduates who can contribute to the country’s development.

“This university is committed to living according to what the Act prescribes. That we should be producing capable human resources that are competent to develop this country,” Matengu emphasised.

Miles Musimbe, the pharmacist in charge of the facility, said the pharmacy will be providing various supplies and services.

“We will also provide medical supplies, vaccines and veterinary medicines to the schools of nursing and veterinary medicine and other associated services at the health centre and Unam at large,” he said.

Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Judith Hall said the pharmacy is set up to allow undergraduate students and possibly graduates to receive training. “The operations of the pharmacy are intentionally set up to accommodate the training of Unam undergraduates, and indeed post-graduates, if necessary,” Hall noted. 

-Nampa