By Lylie Happiness

Oshakati, 02 August  – The National Council Standing Committee on Health, Social Welfare, and Labour Affairs will be conducting an oversight visit to various health facilities in the Zambezi, Kavango East, and Kavango West regions from 02 to 12 August 2023.

The main objective of the oversight visit is to assess the state of health facilities and identify the challenges they face in delivering quality health services to the citizens. During the visit, the committee will hold meetings with officials representing the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication, and Social Welfare, as well as the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations, and Employment Creation.

In a recent engagement between the Constitutional Committee and the Wayawaya Area in the Sibinda Constituency, the Headman, Jim Ben, raised concerns about the community’s lack of identity documents and exclusion from any tribal affiliation. This has resulted in many members being ineligible for food distributions, while others receive only a fraction of the assistance they need, often limited to 10kgs of food per household regardless of the number of occupants. “Food meant for us is kept, and we do not receive it until it is almost spoiled, causing us to fall sick,” said Ben.

Additionally, the Headman informed the Constitutional Committee that they only receive food items every three months, exacerbating their already challenging circumstances.

Members of the Marginalized Community in the Wayawaya Area, Zambezi Region, expressed feeling discriminated against as they face barriers in accessing employment opportunities and still lack essential documentation.

During a session with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs, the community highlighted the limitations they face in accessing quality education due to their poverty background. They struggle to afford basic school supplies, such as paper rims, and the lack of infrastructure and social barriers with their peers has forced many of them to drop out of school. “I had to drop out of tertiary education because I am too poor; accommodation and transport were too expensive for me, and I was starving,” said Liswaniso Sean, a former student at the International University of Management in Windhoek.

The Marginalized Community in Wayawaya is appealing for assistance in reviving their brick production project, which was established in 2019 but is no longer operational. The project was a beacon of hope for self-sustainability within the community. However, water scarcity remains a significant challenge faced by the Wayawaya community.

The Constitutional Committee will continue its oversight visits to programs and activities of Marginalized Communities in Zambezi and Kavango East and West, engaging with the communities and relevant stakeholders. A comprehensive report will be compiled based on these visits.

The recommendations from the Committee Report will serve as valuable input for members of the Committee and all stakeholders to improve programs for Marginalized Communities and potentially broaden the scope to include all vulnerable individuals. – Namibia Daily News

WINDHOEK, Aug. 2  — Namibia’s Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) stated Tuesday that dwindling financial support and inadequate resources are posing significant roadblocks in the fight against malaria.

Speaking at a meeting to review the progress towards achieving goals and targets, MoHSS Executive Director Ben Nangombe emphasized that the lack of funding and essential tools is creating a critical situation and threatening to impede the progress made so far in the battle against this deadly disease.

Nangombe said that Namibia has made considerable strides in combating malaria, significantly reducing the disease burden on the country over the past decade, adding that efforts such as indoor residual spraying (IRS) and the introduction of new rapid diagnostic tools and drugs contributed to this progress.

Nangombe, however, noted that the incidence of malaria in Namibia has recently plateaued, with sporadic outbreaks reported in some regions due to heavy rainfall which provides favourable breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Insecticide resistance and logistical challenges, including insecticide availability and delivery delays, have also posed additional hurdles, he said.

He also stressed the need for reaffirming commitments, setting new targets and implementing interventions to achieve them for the country to meet its goal of eliminating malaria by 2027.

Namibia’s National Malaria Elimination Strategic Plan had initially aimed for malaria elimination by 2022 but faced challenges that necessitated a revised goal of achieving elimination by 2027. The new plan prioritizes strengthening malaria surveillance, intersectoral collaboration, advocacy for resource mobilization, and capacity building at various levels.

In 2022, Namibia saw positive progress in fighting malaria, with the number of cases reduced to below five per 1,000 people at risk in most health districts. (Xinhua)