THE STRATEGY: DEVELOPMENT AND STRENGTHENING

 The Ministry of Health and Social Services shall continue to determine priorities and formulate
strategies and detailed plans of action for the development, strengthening and smooth running of health
and social welfare service programmes aimed at achieving the goal and objectives of the Ministry.

 The Ministry shall ensure that adequate operational support services will be provided in the
management of finance, personnel, logistics, information, transport, and estates in order to facilitate the
efficient delivery of health and social welfare services at all levels.

SERVICES PROVISION
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE

Primary Health Care services shall be the focal point of health care provided to communities in Namibia,
in collaboration with other relevant sectors. These services include:

 The promotion of proper nutrition and adequate supply and utilisation of safe water;

 Reproductive health including maternal, child care and family planning;

 Immunisation against the major infectious diseases;

 Promotion of basic housing and proper sanitation;

 Prevention and control of locally endemic diseases;

 Appropriate treatment of common diseases and condition;

 Education and training concerning prevailing health and social problems in.the communities and the
methods of preventing and controlling them;

 Community based services, empowerment and self-reliance;

 Promotion and maintenance of oral and mental health;

 Development and implementation of appropriate district health packages and management support
teams (RMT)

SECONDARY AND TERTIARY LEVEL SERVICES

Secondary and tertiary health care services in Namibia shall be rationalized and appropriately
strengthened to provide an integrated system of referral and supervisory support for primary health care
services. The secondary and tertiary health care levels of services will also be used for training health and
social workers as centre for research.

PROVISION OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND REHABLITATIVE SERVICES

 The Ministry of Health and Social Services will contribute to the social and economic development of
the country by designing and implementing a developmental, community-centred and participatory social
welfare policy which will promote the social, mental, spiritual and physical well-being of all habitants.

 The Ministry in collaboration with other government and non-governmental agencies will make social
welfare, services, social allowances and relief available to those Namibians most in need of such
assistance. These services will include protection and empowerment of women, children, the elderly, and
people with disabilities. People most in need will receive counselling, rehabilitation, pension and
allowances.

The following other services will also be provided:

 Prevention of social problems through advocacy towards equal opportunities, promotion of human
security, community development, poverty reduction and responsible lifestyles.

 Provision of remedial and psycho-social rehabilitation services, using methods such as counselling,
cognitive and behavioural therapies, motivational interviews, group therapies, play-music therapy and life
skill training.

 Provision of institutional care as a last resort for vulnerable people and groups.

HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES REFORMS

 The Ministry of Health and Social Services shall incorporate all existing health and social services in a
rationalised form to address the health and social issues that Namibia will face in the future. The key
features of the Ministry shall be the following:

 Local level primary health care and social welfare services in community health centres and clinics, as
well as outreach services to remote rural outreach posts or visiting points shall be appropriately
strengthened and expanded in accordance with the needs of disadvantaged and undeserved
communities.

 District level health services comprising at least one district hospital, health centres, clinics, as well as
rural health posts shall be established. District co-ordinating committees shall be responsible for
identifying the health and social needs of local communities and devising solutions to meet these needs.
This shall be done in close consultation, and with the involvement of these communities. Members of the
district committees shall also participate in the planning of health and social welfare services of their
specific region. As much discretionary authority as possible shall be vested at the district level in respect
of functional management and operation of services, as well as budgetary responsibilities.

 Regional management teams shall have the responsibility for planning, supervision and monitoring of
regional services in collaboration with local authorities. Further more they shall provide management and
technical support to district co-ordinating committees and district institutions.

 The Regional Health Directorates shall be phased out as the Regional Management Teams (RMT’s)
are phased in. this may be done sooner in some Regional Health Directorates than in others, but a co-
ordinating timetable will be set immediately for phasing out Regional Health Directorates. This is also
dependent upon the National Level effectively trimming and streamlining their functions and structures.

 The National level will be less involved in control functions and resource management (transport,
personnel management, nursing services) and operational tasks that can be better be done at lower
levels. This means devolving operational authority in areas such as transport, logistics, personnel
management, recruitment, intra-regional tranfers, diciplinary actions and financial management and
related budget and control to regional and district levels. This should enable the National level to
concentrate on providing technical support to Regional Management teams (RMT’s), Human Resource
Development (HRD), clinical and administrative performance auditing, resource mobilization, international
relations, regulation and setting standards and norms.

In addition, the central level will be responsible for policy formulation, legislation, strategic planning, co-
ordination of functions, in close consultation with regional managers.
 The following management structures will continue at the National level: The Executive Committee, the
Ministerial Management Committee and the Policy Management development and Review committee.

 A ministerial Steering Committee chaired by the Hon. Minister of Health and Social Services
(members: The Deputy Minister, the Permanent Secretary, the Deputy Permanent Secretary, and the
Under Secretaries) will be the highest policy making body in the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
Advisers may be co-opted.

 A National AIDS Committee shall be Constituted to formulate short term and medium term AIDS
prevention and control plans for Namibia in consultation with the UN AIDS Programme and other relevant
partners.

 A statutory National Social Welfare Council shall be established to advise on social services policy,
social allowances, relief and other matters related to social welfare services.

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LEGISLATION AND REGULATION

 Legalisation will be drafted to appropriately address Namibian legal needs in respect of health and
social welfare services, institutions and professions.

 Umbrella legislation shall be drafted providing for the establishment of Boards governing professions
and for various outscored support services i.e. blood tranfusion, medical laboratory services, catering and
others.

RATIONAL DRUG USE

The Ministry will promote the rational use of drugs by ensuring compliance with the National Essential
Drugs List for Namibia and the adherence to standard Treatment guidelines. the importation and
production of all pharmaceutical products shall be regulated by the government to protect the interest of
Namibian consumers. Appropriate legislation will be enacted to ensure that pharmaceutical products
conform to international standards.

FINANCING HEALTH AND SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES

 The Ministry of Health and Social Services shall mobile resources through appropriate and sustainable
means, and will ensure the efficient use of those resources in order to guarantee equity of access to
quality health care.

 Promotive and preventive services will be free of charge. Fees for other services will be charged to
raise revenue and other options for cost sharing will be explored and implemented.

 District health services (district hospitals, health centres, clinics and outreach services) shall be
adequately financed to implement the minimum district health package.

 A service package will also be defined for the tertiary level facilities. Allocation criteria for these
facilities will be determined.

 The government will ensure that the per capita funding of health and social welfare services will be
equitable for all Namibians in every region of the country. This will take into account special regional
circumstances such as distance, population, density and other factors.
 Special consideration, therefore, will be given to accelerate development of health and social welfare
services in the disadvantaged and the underserved rural areas.

 The government shall rationalize provision of primary, secondary and tertiary care services in areas
where there is an oversupply and in order to ensure the maintenance of standards and the appropriate
expansion of services in neglected and underserved areas

 Financial responsibility and accountability will be decentralized to regions and districts to allow for the
most appropriate and flexible response to the needs of the people in those particular areas. This however,
will be a flexible and gradual process.

HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

 The preparation of a long term human resource strategic development plan will be given high priority.
This shall include training, retraining and development of existing health and social workers, to address
priority health and social problems in an appropriate and integrated manner. External or internal training
will be decided upon, considering cost effectiveness.

 Standards of professional practice of all categories of health and social workers shall be maintained
and improved where necessary, to be comparable with international standards.

 Special consideration shall be given to staff rendering services in remote areas and those involved in
the provision of outreach services. All staff members will be required to do relief duties. The staff will be
deployed/redeployed according to staff utilisation rates. Assessments of staff development needs will be
conducted periodically.

PARTNERSHIP IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL WELFARE

 The vital role of health and social welfare services provided by church facilities in Namibia is
acknowledged. These services shall be strengthened and supported by the Ministry in terms of their
capital costs, operating costs (including salaries and pharmaceutical supplies) and human resource
needs. Agreements guiding the terms of co-operation between the churches and government shall be
drawn up and reviewed periodically.

 Private health and social welfare services shall co-exist with public and social welfare services in
accordance with the mixed economy policy of the government. Close co-operation and joint ventures
between the private and public sectors in pursuance of the goal of health and social well being for all
Namibians shall be encouraged.

 Private health care and social welfare facilities (including facilities operated by Non-Governmental
Organisations) shall be required to register with the Ministry and comply with service and building
standards set by government.

 Limited private practice for full-time medical specialists may be allowed under strict control and in
accordance with the principle that their state responsibilities shall not be comprised. All costs associated
with the utilisation of state facilities to run private practice of any kind shall be fully recovered from the
private patients and practitioners.

 Namibia will maintain its membership of the World Health Organisation. Programmes of assistance
with UN agencies, NGO’s, International and Regional Organisations and individual countries, will be
actively developed. All such programmes will be co-ordinated to avoid duplication or a piecemeal
approach to health and social welfare in the country. A fundamental requirement of all development co-
operation shall be to help Namibians to help themselves.

HEALTH AND SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES RESEARCH:

 Systems research is increasingly being recognised as important in the decision making process. the
Ministry of Health and Social Services will therefor place particular emphasis research that is closely
linked to local needs and sensitive to priority needs of the country.

 A national policy on research and a health system research strategy to underpin it, are being
developed. Special effort will also be made to build research capacity at all levels.

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

 Traditional health systems remain an integral part of the majority of Namibian cultural values and
traditional beliefs. The Ministry has therefore adopted a policy of fostering good working relationships
between conventional and traditional medical practices.

 The Ministry will help and encourage traditional practitioners to regulate their practice and to establish
traditional practitioners associations.

 Research into traditional herbal medicines and other modes of treatment will be encouraged and
supported.

STRATEGY FORMULATION AND REVIEW

 Since Independence programme specific policies and strategies have been developed in many areas
such as: turberlosis, malaria, primary health care, community based health care, information, education
and communication, essential drugs, family planning, nutrition and food security, protection and
empowerment of women and children.

There are however still outstanding areas of concern to be addressed in due course, such as: social
welfare policy, refining social allowances and relief, decentralisation, streamlining the Ministry’s
organisational structures, operational management and support services covering amongst others
transport, information management (communication), accounting systems and administrative processes
and procedures; infrastructure and medical equipment.

 An ongoing effort to review and develop the policies, strategies and their implementation will be
continued. Adjustment of programmes will be made to meet the changing needs of communities and to
address new challenges. New programmes for overcoming emerging problems like HIV/AIDS will be
established as required.

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