Namibia News

On 25 April every year, the world comes together to share information and experiences on malaria prevention and control, and to celebrate key milestones achieved in the fight against malaria. The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) commemorated World Malaria Day at Khorixas, in the Kunene region on 14 August 2024 under the global theme “Advancing health equity, gender equality and human rights” and the national theme “Ensuring safe communities with zero malaria”.

In Namibia, nearly 35% of women are subjected to intimate partner violence and/or sexual violence.   The majority do not disclose the abuse but may seek health care because of the abuse.  This makes the health sector a critical player in the prevention and response to violence against women.

On 02 August 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with the Government of Japan donated cervical cancer screening instruments to the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) in the Omaheke region. The donation was made under the Japan-funded project titled Increasing Access to Quality Nutrition and Protection Services for Vulnerable Populations including women and children, which aims to increase access to nutrition interventions to prevent and manage malnutrition among women and children. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) with support from the Government of Japan, partnered with the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) to conduct the African Vaccination Week in the Omaheke region, from 05 – 09 August 2024.  This initiative served as a crucial platform to raise awareness about the importance of vaccines, combat vaccine hesitancy and amplify vaccination activities. The Omaheke region faces escalating malnutrition cases and a challenging landscape for providing essential health services including immunization.

In 2022, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) developed the National Quality Policy and Strategy (NQPS) and the National Healthcare facilities Quality Standards (HQS) to strengthen healthcare service quality in support of its overarching vision and mission. The objective of the Hospital Quality Standards (HQS) in Namibia is to enhance the quality and safety of healthcare services, ensuring consistent, effective, and patient-centered care delivery across all hospitals to improve overall health outcomes.

On 20 June 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to Namibia, Dr. Richard Banda paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Health and Social Services, Honorable Dr. Kalumbi Shangula. The meeting aimed to cement the existing partnership between the Ministry of Health and Social Services and WHO under the new leadership and affirm commitments to ensuring health for all.    

Poliovirus surveillance is one of the key pillars of the global poliovirus eradication effort. The primary system to detect poliovirus transmission is surveillance for polio cases among individuals with acute flaccid paralysis (AFP), supplemented by environmental surveillance (ES).

In October 2008, Namibia was certified polio free and continued to maintain its polio free status since then. However, the country remains at high risk of importations of vaccine derived polio viruses (VDPVs) and other vaccine preventable diseases due to sub-optimal immunization coverage.

Behaviors are an essential part of our health and wellbeing.  These include, among many others, drinking alcohol, smoking, being physically inactive, low vaccination uptake, overuse of antibiotics, and low adherence to treatment plans for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.  Behaviors are complex and are affected by individual knowledge and motivation, as well as sociocultural and structural factors.

In a concerted effort to enhance the quality of healthcare services in Namibia, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other key stakeholders, has made significant steps in the development, launching and dissemination of the National Quality Policy and Strategy (NQPS) in 2022. The NQPS aimed at ensuring that the provision of quality healthcare services is a fundamental principle of the healthcare delivery system in Namibia.