Namibia News

In September 2022, Namibia joined other Member States in the WHO African Region to implement the Emergency Preparedness and Response Flagship (EPR) Initiative aimed at strengthening, emergency preparedness and response, disease surveillance, including laboratory capacities of countries across Africa. In line with the implementation of EPR flagship initiative, one of the key components calls for member states to have database of surge staff trained in emergency management and ready for deployment within 24 -48 hours to respond to public health events in country and beyond.

There is increasing recognition that human behavior is a key determinant of health which can either enhance or comprise population health.   

Cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, other substance abuse, unhealthy dietary habits, sedentary lifestyles, and nonadherence to effective medication regimens are among the health-compromising behaviors identified and targeted for modification or prevention with consequent benefit to public health[1].

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical importance of Infection Prevention Control (IPC) and viewed by many as a positive factor in strengthening IPC within countries. IPC measures have played a pivotal role in mitigating the spread of the virus, protecting public health, and alleviating strain on healthcare systems. These measures have served to safeguard not only healthcare workers but also the wider population, highlighting IPC's indispensable role in upholding healthcare safety standards.

Access to information is key to realizing the right to health for all.  Health inequities are endemic to every region of the world, with rates of disease significantly higher amongst the poorest and most excluded groups.

Mrs Regina Diergaardt, school principal of the Gobabis Primary School, shares the story of how her school has remained a health promoting school through the years despite numerous challenges.  

Omaheke Region is known for its agricultural potential especially in cattle raring, but its increasingly becoming popular for its milestone achievement in the Health Promoting School Initiative being the only region that has embraced this initiative in all its 47 schools.

The ICD, since inception a century ago has become an integral part of strategic health information providing comparable data on the extent, causes and consequences of human disease and death.  This information is invaluable especially for service planning, provision of quality care and health research. 

Unless our public health policy, programmes and systems integrate gender, equity, and human rights, realizing the vision of sustainable development goals will be far-fetched. Gender equality must be addressed in its own right and as a catalyst of progress across the SDGs.

Childhood is meant to be a time of joy, growth, and development, free from violence, abuse, and exploitation. This is however not the case for over 39.6% of Namibian girls and 45.0% of Namibian boys experiencing physical, sexual, or emotional violence in their childhood according to the 2019 Violence against Children and Youth Survey.   

The Namibian government’s commitment to improving public health efforts in the last 33 years has yielded positive outcomes resulting in an increase in the country’s life expectancy by 12 years since 2001.