Namibia is an upper-middle-income country, and is the second-most sparsely populated country in the world. Vast distances between communities in the country weigh down on health systems and limit access to health services. Social inequalities in the country increase the likelihood of higher-risk sex behaviour and vulnerability to HIV infection. While HIV prevalence in the country remains high at about 12 percent, the country has registered a marked decline in new HIV infections. The Global Fund investments in the country’s HIV program support community-based prevention, treatment and care. TB is also a major public health problem, and the country has the fourth-highest TB incidence rate in Africa. Global Fund efforts provide the expansion of technical assistance for the National TB Control Program. Namibia is moving toward pre-elimination of malaria and has seen a significant decrease in malaria cases in recent years. Global Fund partnership grants contribute to strengthening malaria control and response.

AHO PRIORITIES FOR HEALTH DELIVERY PLAN IN NAMIBIA

1. Managerial capabilities and efficiency of AHO technical cooperation.
2. Healthy lifestyles, including safe sex, physical activity, a healthy diet, prevention of violence, avoidance of smoking and drugs, and the general practice of healthy behaviours.
3. Research initiatives for financing health care.
4. Expansion and improvement of the quality of family planning services counselling and general services
5. Gender policies and activities, competence of management and support services, and physical facilities and equipment.
6. Health sector reform, and the organization, management, financing, and delivery of health services.
7. Disaster preparedness, with an emphasis on disaster planning and simulation exercises.
8. Maternal and child health, with emphasis on reducing maternal mortality to under 10 deaths per 10,000 live births; reduction of perinatal mortality; and the elimination of poliomyelitis and measles.
9. Oral health, with an emphasis on public education and monitoring of the Salt Fluoridation Project.
10. Integration of mental health into primary care services.
11. Public education and nutrition surveillance geared toward improving nutritional status and prevention of chronic diseases, targeting mainly diabetes and hypertension.
12. Veterinary public health, with an emphasis on food-borne disease surveillance.
13. Environmental health, with an emphasis on improving drinking water and reducing air pollution.
14. Environmental quality and improvements in health and human welfare, with an emphasis on monitoring water management, excreta disposal, vector control, marine pollution, and workers health.
15. Occupational/workers health.
16. Enhancement of excreta/sewage/solid wastes disposal.
17. Involvement of nongovernmental organizations in health and epidemiological surveillance, particularly with regard to STD, HIV, dengue, hepatitis B, typhoid and food-borne diseases, tuberculosis, Hansen’s disease, and cholera.
18. Human resources development and planning, training the capacities of tertiary institutions, and program planning.

RESOURCES (USD)

AHO NAMIBIA 2020 (USD million)* based on 2017 pop 2.534 million World Bank

AHO estimates that it needs to spend at least USD100 per capita on health to meet the basic health needs of the people in Africa. This is too far below developed countries e.g. in England it is US$1,300 per capita (2017)