Otjozondjupa Regional Governor, James Uerikua, has reiterated a call for a referral hospital at Otjiwarongo because of the many accidents happening on the B1 road.

Uerikua was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Ombili Clinic at Otjiwarongo.

Otjiwarongo has a population of 220,000 inhabitants, of which 62,000 depend on health services from the Otjiwarongo State Hospital.

The word "dilapidated" is frequently used to describe healthcare facilities throughout the country.

However, the Executive Director of the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Ben Nangombe, believes this term is exaggerated.

Nangombe acknowledges that the ministry faces challenges but asserts that it has made substantial progress in upgrading infrastructure over the years.

The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) has finalised some of its directives set out under its National Management Development Forum (NMDF).

One of the directives that is a challenge is the implementation of the performance management system.

The Executive Director of the Ministry, Ben Nangombe, has undertaken some interventions to ensure the full implementation of this directive.

Namibia's cancer rate remains high, calling for a more decentralised approach to improve oncology services.

Namibia currently does not have adequate equipment and machines to treat cancer for state patients.

The current cobalt 60 machine used for radiation therapy has reached its life span and is not operational.

A lack of sufficient oncology services in other regions has also caused backlogs, leaving many patients who travel to Windhoek for treatment frustrated.

The Ministry of Health and Social Services says it will debar contractors who fail to deliver projects and will implement penalties for late delivery.

Its Executive Director, Ben Nangombe, said this when he presented a report on the ministry's activities at health facilities in Windhoek.

"Contractors who fail us in the implementation of the projects are going to recommend to the policy unit that they are barred from participating in the awarding of new projects. We are also going to enforce the levying of penalties."

The Ministry of Health and Social Services is working diligently to address a water supply issue at Sibbinda Health Centre in Katima Mulilo.

The Executive Director in the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Ben Nangombe, said this while responding to concerns raised by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Gender Equality, Social Development, and Family Affairs.

The committee is in the Zambezi Region to assess the conditions and operations at public health facilities.

Namibia is the first high-burden country in the region to successfully apply for triple elimination validation.

A Regional Validation Committee is currently in Namibia to assess the submission for the Path to Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B.

The Triple Elimination Initiative supports the global commitment to the elimination of mother-to-child or vertical transmission of HIV, Syphilis, and the Hepatitis B virus.

The Executive Director of the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Ben Nangombe, says the current circulation of COVID-19 in the country has not yet reached levels of concern.

However, despite this assessment, Nangombe advises the public to continue taking precautionary measures in order to prevent the further spread of the virus.

During the first week of May, there were 40 reported positive coronavirus cases.

The number increased to 62 in the second week and slightly decreased to 54 in the third week.

Namibia is prepared and has a response plan in place in the event of a possible polio outbreak.

This comes after stakeholders participated in a three-day Polio Simulation Exercise in Windhoek.

Namibia had its first Polio Simulation Exercise in 2018.

The country managed to score only slightly over 47% in terms of preparedness as well as on its response plan.

The WHO Polio Eradication Officer, Tenywa Emmanuel, said the results of the recent exercise proved to be much better.

False beliefs and misinformation around the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination are hampering progress in conquering cervical cancer.

These were some of the concerns raised by various speakers at a workshop on sexually transmitted infections (STI), hosted by Roche and the Cancer Association of Namibia in Windhoek.

Cervical cancer, also known as the "silent killer," remains among the top four cancers, second only to breast cancer in incidence among women in Namibia.

Research points to nearly all cases of cervical cancer being attributed to HPV infection.