Namibia
Namibia is a land of harsh beauty, with several deserts and extraordinary ecosystems. Namibians work in mining and industry, as well as in the service industry, but high unemployment contributes to significant income disparities. An HIV infection rate of 17.6% is stressing the health care system, which lacks many critical personnel.
Namibia’s health care system relies strongly on faith-based organizations (FBOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). IntraHealth is funding and strengthening five FBOs and NGOs to provide clinical training and support services in HIV/AIDS treatment. We aim to strengthen human resources for health, finance and general management; develop a more integrated model of care in the hospitals; and lessen congestion in the hospitals through decentralization of services. We will also be working with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare to assess and strengthen human resources for health in the context of Namibia’s HIV/AIDS rate, with a focus on orphans and vulnerable children.
IntraHealth’s main work in Namibia includes:- Assessing and developing Namibia’s human resources information systems
- Training NGO and FBO staff in finance and management
- Managing HIV counseling and testing services
- Assisting the Ministry of Health and Social Services in drafting and updating the new guidelines for antiretroviral therapy and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
- Assessing the capacity of Namibia’s current human resources for health in the area of child welfare
- Forecasting the health care personnel demands and comparing them to the projected supply
- Evaluating cost-effective ways of filling projected gaps in human resources for health.
Donor/Project: USAID (Capacity Project, Southern Africa Human Capacity Development Coalition Project)
Partners, Capacity Project: Anglican Medical Service, Catholic Health Services, Catholic AIDS Action, Democratic Resettlement Community VCT Center, Development Aid from People to People, Evangelical Lutheran Church Program, Lifeline/Childline, Lutheran Medical Services of Namibia, Namibian HIV Clinician Society, Namibian Red Cross Society, Walvis Bay Multi-Purpose Center
Partners, Southern Africa Human Capacity Development Coalition: East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA); the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD); the Council of Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA); Management Sciences for Health (MSH); TRG.
Selected health statistics for Namibia (WHO, accessed October 2008):
Life expectancy, in years (m/f): 59/63
Probability of dying under 5 years of age (per 1000 live births): 61
Adult prevalence of HIV/AIDS: 17.6%
Maternal mortality (per 100,000 live births): 300