Namibia News

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that health is not just a prerequisite to development but is fundamental to economies, societies, national security, and political stability.  The emphasis on ‘building back better’ allows governments across the globe to re-think their st

19 June 2023 marked the launch of the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) 3^rd edition Technical Guidelines with the aim of strengthening Namibia’s capacity to detect, report, confirm, and effectively respond to high-priority communicable and non-communicable diseases in line with the International H

The Ministry of Health has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) of partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) Namibia Office under Emergency preparedness and Response Flagship Initiative.  As part of the MOA, WHO handed over digital Learning equipment and a fleet of 8 (4x4) multipurpose field vehicles including a well-equipped ambulance to cater for rapid response in emergency operations.

A United Nations delegation consisting of partners from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNESCO, UNICEF, UNFPA and UNAIDS under the flagship of the United Nations Partnership Framework (UNPAF) visited various UN supported projects in underserved communities in Windhoek.

The Ministry of Health and Social Service (MoHSS), with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centre for Disease Control (CDC), and other partners has developed and launched the Hospital Quality Standards (HQS) in 2021 and will conclude in 2024 with accreditation of the selected hospitals.

Dr Kalumbi Shangula, The Minister of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), declared the end of the CCHF outbreak on 19 June 2023. The CCHF outbreak was reported in Gobabis District, Omaheke Region.  MoHSS notified WHO about the confirmed CCHF outbreak in Gobabis district on 21 May 2023. The confirmed case died on 18 May 2023. The outbreak was declared on 22 May 2023. Only one confirmed case was reported during the CCHF outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Representative and the Japanese Ambassador to Namibia visited the Ohangwena region on 30 March 2023 for a field trip to observe the progress made in addressing malnutrition. The delegation was led by the Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Esther Muinjangue. 

The Japanese government through the office of the Ambassador injected approximately N$ 2,6 million into the Ministry of Health and Social Services to address malnutrition while the WHO provided the technical support to successfully implement the project.

In a special note on 7 April 2023, His Excellency, Dr Hage Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia hailed global and national public health achievements of over the past 75 years, attributing this to effective partnership between governments and the World Health Organization. He referred to the groundbreaking work on COVID-19 vaccine development which aided governments in the COVID-19 pandemic control and drastically reduced the number of deaths and new infections globally.

As we commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the World Health Organization (WHO) on 7 April 2023 under the theme of The 2023 World Health Day  "Health for all" , we pause to take stock of public health milestones. We also pause to take stock of current and future challenges, and the need to collectively ensure that the most vulnerable and furthest behind have access to quality, essential health care services.   

WHO Namibia supported the Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN) seminar on mental health to raise awareness on mental health promotion and suicide prevention amongst the church and community leaders and mobilize efforts in support of mental health care at community level.  The seminar with church leaders, lay counselors and youth leaders was held on 15 and 16 November as part of the World Mental Health Day commemoration.