A staggering 90% of the Namibian population depends on public health facilities for their medical needs, a figure buttressing the government’s position as the main healthcare provider in the country. The figure was revealed by health minister Kalumbi Shangula in a statement delivered on his behalf on Friday, during the official handover of a containerised clinic at Otjinungua, in Kunene’s extreme north. The government executes this through its 30 district hospitals, 43 health centres, 279 clinics and other outreach programmes countrywide. “Despite challenges, our public healthcare system, upon which 90% of the population relies, continues to cater for the health needs of communities,” Shangula said. He said the ministry will continue to engage with other government offices, ministries and agencies as part of the One-Health Approach, thereby providing “equitable, accessible and reliable health services for our people in all parts of the country”. In the furtherance of this, the government is constructing new clinics in different regions to bring services closer to some of the underserved communities, Shangula said. According to the minister, support for the training of medical professionals in different disciplines, with a view to strengthening the human resources component of the health system, cannot be overemphasised. “In the past two years, the ministry has recruited more than 1 300 health professionals who have been deployed in different parts of the country,” he said. Of this figure, 32 nurses will be deployed in Kunene, once the process of registration with the Health Professions Councils of Namibia is completed. “They will be deployed at facilities such as Otjiu, Onjuva, Etanga, here at Otjinunga and others - to alleviate the burden at clinics which are staffed by a single nurse currently,” said the minister.