Niël Terblanché
On the 75th anniversary of World Health Day, Namibia joined the rest of the world in celebrating the global achievements of the World Health Organisation, such as the eradication of the debilitating blight of polio.
President Hage Geingob at the celebration highlighted that there are but a few global achievements in public health that Namibia as a member state of the World Health Organization are proud to be associated with.
“Namibia celebrated 33 years of Independence and can acknowledge national public health achievements in partnership with the World Health Organization,” he said.
This year’s World Health Day was commemorated under the theme “Health for all”.
“As we pause to take stock of public health milestones, we must 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 healthcare services,” the President said.
Geingob said that over the past 75 years, the world witnessed advancements in public health worth celebrating. In 2020, WHO gave emergency use listing to 10 types of COVID-19 vaccines, the first of these on the last day of 2020. Within only 15 days of the WHO listing the vaccines for emergency use, 101 countries issued national regulatory authorization, basing their decisions on the WHO risk-based assessment and accelerating vaccine roll-out.
Prior to the establishment of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, under the WHO leadership, polio used to paralyze more than 350 000 people per year worldwide.
“However, the cases have since dropped by 99 percent due to immunization against polio. Namibia was certified polio-free in October 2008 and continued routine and national immunization campaigns to maintain its polio-free status. Additionally, the national coverage for most childhood immunization remains above the global recommended rates ensuring increased child survival,” he said.
Another notable global public health achievement is the eradication of smallpox in 1979 following an ambitious 12-year immunization programme led by the WHO.
The President said that Namibia’s investment in the HIV pandemic control resulted in a 65 percent decline in the number of new infections and a 74% decline in HIV-related deaths since 2004. Life expectancy increased by 12 years from 51 years in 2001 to 63 years in 2020. Furthermore, the country is one of the first high-burden countries to approach epidemic control as per the UNAIDS 95-95-95 treatment cascade with 92 percent of People Living with HIV aware of their status, 99 percent of them being on HIV treatment and of the latter, 94 percent being virally suppressed.
“Namibia made considerable progress in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission. In 2022, the country attained a universal coverage of over 95 percent for the first antenatal care visit, pregnant women HIV and syphilis testing and maternal antiretroviral therapy,” he said.
According to Geingob, universal health coverage remains a priority for Namibia ensuring that every Namibian has access to health care where and when they need to, without the financial burden that may limit access. He pointed out that in 2016, it was estimated that 95.7 percent or 72 720 of all births in Namibia occurred in health facilities.
“In order to increase the provision of a competent health workforce, Namibia established its School of Medicine in 2009 with extensive support from the World Health Organization and as of 2022, the school trained 400 medical doctors and four specialist anaesthetists who are deployed in different health facilities throughout the country,” he said.
The President said that Namibia, like the rest of the world, was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. “The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed on 13 March 2020 and I declared a state of emergency on 17 March. COVID-19 vaccination was launched on 18 March 2021 and over 980 000 doses were administered since then in all 14 regions of the country. Although the vaccination rate remains low, through concerted efforts, and support from the United Nations, especially WHO, development partners, the private sector, civil society organizations, media and communities, Namibia has sustained a low positivity rate in the past year compared to an average of 31.1 percent during the delta wave,” he said.
Geingob said that efforts to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake are still ongoing.
“Last year in March, the country declared – the end of the Hepatitis E Virus Outbreak, an outbreak that lasted four years and affected 13 of the 14 political regions mainly in informal settlements and areas with poor hygiene and sanitation. This success is due to continued, sustained multisectoral collaboration with WHO and partners which supported the government efforts related to case management, surveillance, laboratory services, infection prevention and control, risk communication and community engagement, water, sanitation, and hygiene,” he said.
According to the President, Namibia remains committed to ensuring health for all, in line with Goal 4 of the Harambe Prosperity Plan, which ensures access to health care for all.
