Namibia’s Health and Social Services Minister has challenged UN member states to urgently confront the concurrent challenges posed by TB and COVID-19.
Dr. Kalumbi Shangula says the strategy must be holistic, considering both medical and health dimensions as well as the intricately interwoven dynamics of socio-economic welfare.
Health and Social Services Minister Dr. Kalumbi Shangula says his ministry is ready to extend its services to those in need, as suicide statistics over the past year paint a grim picture of depression in Namibia.
The number of deaths by suicide and suicide attempts is on the rise.
Of the 623 cases recorded over the past year, including teens and minors, 82% are male.
Dr. Shangula says the rising suicide rate can, to a large extent, be explained by untreated mental health conditions.
The Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr. Kalumbi Shangula, has called on health centres not to allow challenges that require immediate solutions to persist, saying some minor issues do not need to go through the bureaucratic system for approval to be corrected.
Dr. Shangula made these remarks at Omatako Clinic, where he concluded his visits to health facilities in the Otjozondjupa Region.
The team, including the regional health management, visited the health facilities in Okakarara, Grootfontein, Etunda, Otavi, and Kombat.
