Windhoek
The Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) and the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) have enjoyed a long-standing relationship, which culminated in the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that allows for the sharing of resources to aid in expanding health services to more Namibians, especially hard-to-reach, but vulnerable communities.
According to the manager of WBCG’s wellness services, Edward Shivute, the aim of the agreement is for the WBCG to operate as an extended facility of the MoHSS, using its mobile and static roadside wellness clinics.
“In order to reduce HIV infections and mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS in mobile populations and affected communities, we are constantly venturing toward improving the access to services for key populations, such as sex workers, mobile populations,- specifically long-distance truck drivers, and the surrounding border communities in Namibia”, Shivute explained.
Ensuring that public and private sector institutions collaborate and share resources while maintaining a high quality of service, the WBCG is committed to supporting the efforts of the Ministry of Health and Social Services as part of the National Strategic Framework on HIV/AIDS response, he noted.
“The idea is to leverage private sector resources to support the WBCG Mobile and Roadside Wellness Clinics and Services whilst reducing the public hospital burden”, Shivute stated.
He explained that in order to achieve this goal, transport sector companies within the Private Sector have agreed to contribute to the operational costs of the WBCG mobile and wellness clinics, as a component of the wellness programme.
Innovative and original, this agreement demonstrates that public private partnerships in the sector can sustainably contribute towards strengthening public health interventions in Namibia. As the project progresses, the WBCG looks forward to expanding it further into the region.