Namibia News

On April 7, 2025, in Katima Mulilo, Zambezi region, Namibia launched a year-long campaign, in commemoration of World Health Day. Under the theme Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures, the campaign aims to strengthen health systems and enhance service delivery to reduce maternal and child deaths. By focusing on improving healthcare access, training, and infrastructure, the initiative seeks to ensure that every mother and child in Namibia has the opportunity for a healthy and hopeful future.

On 28 March 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO), together with the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) and other partners, came together for the national observance of World Tuberculosis (TB) Day in Tsandi, Omusati Region. The theme for this year, "Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver," served as a powerful reminder of the collective action needed to combat TB worldwide.

On 17 March 2025, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), launched the National Multi-Hazard Emergencies Preparedness and Response Plan (NMHEPRP) and the Handbook for Public Health Emergency Operations Centres (PHEOC) in Windhoek.

The Namibia Medicines Regulatory Council’s (NMRC) Quality Surveillance Laboratory (QSL) conducted a pivotal workshop in Swakopmund from 2 to 6 December 2024, with financial support from the World Health Organization (WHO). The workshop focused on risk management, opportunity identification, and root cause analysis, aimed at strengthening the laboratory’s quality management system and enhancing operational efficiency, compliance, and continuous improvement.

The escalating mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other countries was declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) by the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on 14 August 2024.

Over 120 countries have confirmed more than 106 000 cases of mpox since the onset of the global outbreak in 2022. In 2024, there has been an upsurge of mpox in the DRC and neighbouring countries, with about 68,999 suspected cases and approximately 1,255 deaths reported across 21 countries in the WHO African Region as of 12 December 2024.

On 17 November 2024, Namibia joined the rest of Africa in commemorating Africa Road Safety Day and the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims in Tsumeb, Oshikoto Region. This significant event, observed on the third Sunday of November every year, highlights the urgent need for better road safety measures, the preservation of human life and support for those affected by road traffic crashes. It is a time to remember victims, advocate for improved post-crash responses, and take action to save lives across the continent.

The Namibia Medicines Regulatory Council (NMRC) with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), conducted an intensive training workshop on dossier assessment in Windhoek from 2 to 13 December 2024. The program equipping participants with comprehensive skills in dossier evaluation for pharmaceutical products.

The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) with support from World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a national training for trainers on the electronic surveillance (eSURV) Companion App in Swakopmund from 14 – 16 October 2024.

Renowned for its excellent road infrastructure, Namibia has been a leader on the African continent in road safety, aligning its vision with the global decade of action on road safety. However, the high death toll on the Namibia roads is a stark reminder that good roads are not sufficient to ensuring road safety. A comprehensive strategy is essential, including ongoing enhancements in road and vehicle design, strengthening of laws and their enforcement, and ensuring timely emergency care for the injured.

Windhoek – “The injury pattern did not match the father's account, so I involved a social worker,” recounts Julia Kaiyamo, a doctor at Katutura Health Centre in Windhoek, Namibia, of a recent case she treated. Kaiyamo’s assessment was informed by training she received on addressing child maltreatment.