Ben Nangombe

Children aged 12 years and older are now eligible for vaccination

Children aged 12 years and older are now eligible for vaccination

Tujoromajo Kasuto CHILDREN aged 12 years and older are now eligible to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines, as the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) has decided to expand vaccination eligibility to children and adolescents aged 12-17 years. Vaccination reduces the risk of severe illness, hospitalisation and deaths due to COVID-19. The World Health Organisation (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) has recommended that Pfizer/BionTech COVID-19 vaccine is suitable for use by persons aged 12 years and above. The same vaccine has been granted Emergency Use Authorisation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in…
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Sinopharm’s third dose for 60-year- olds and those with comorbidity

Tujoromajo Kasuto MINISTRY of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) Executive Director (ED), Ben Nangombe, says the ministry has with immediate implementation introduced an additional third dose of Sinopharm vaccine for people who have already completed their vaccination schedule. This would be administered six months (168 days) after the second dose for all adult 60 years and older, those with moderately to severely compromised immune including those with active cancer, transplant recipients, those on active treatment with immune suppression and people with HIV not on treatment. Nangombe adds that all individuals 18 years and older who have completed a two-dose schedule…
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Babies born early now survive because of improved medical, nursing care

Babies born early now survive because of improved medical, nursing care

Tujoromajo Kasuto It is a stark reality that approximately one in five babies born too early may not survive but medical and nursing care has improved significantly over the last 40 years. “Today, in Namibia, we can help babies who, 10 or 20 years ago would not have survived. Today, we are privileged to see tiny babies weighing about 1000 g or in some cases, less than that, survive and go home to their families,” says Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) Executive Director (ED), Ben Nangombe. Nangombe said this during the commemoration of World Prematurity Day today, which…
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Health Ministry purchases tent for N$4.5 million

Tujoromajo Kasuto IN a bizarre turn of events, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) has purchased a 70-bed tented ward located in Windhoek Central Hospital for around N$4.5 million, after its rental agreement expired. Critics say the N$4.5 million could have been used to renovate the already existing hospital or build a concrete ward structure. The Executive Director (ED) of MoHSS, Ben Nangombe, says upon the ending of the renting period from July to October 2021, the ministry decided that the best option would be to buy the tent so that they would easily deployable whenever they need…
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Health ministry admits to unsafe abortions, calls on abortion law repeal

Health ministry admits to unsafe abortions, calls on abortion law repeal

Eba Kandovazu THE Executive Director (ED) in the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS), Ben Nangombe, says the Abortion and Sterilisation Act 2 of 1975 is an outdated law that should be repealed to suit the current contemporary issues. According to Nangombe, the 46-year-old law does not speak to the current realities happening today, saying it should be reviewed. “We will have to consult further and work around the desired legislation. Of course this will depend on what the public too has to say. Our position is that there is no dispute that there are situations where safe attempts…
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Covid-19 vaccination for children over 12 on the horizon

Covid-19 vaccination for children over 12 on the horizon

Tujoromajo Kasuto CHILDREN aged 12 years and older will soon be eligible to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines, as the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) is looking into extending the vaccination to children. MOHSS Executive Director (ED), Ben Nangombe, states that, “the health clusters and experts are looking into the available data and upon their recommendation the ministry will first inform the public before extending the vaccination approach.” Similarly, the Executive Director of the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, Sanet Steenkamp, says the initiative will have the ministry’s “full support” once the various committees within the Health…
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Health Ministry embarks on World Patient Safety Day

Health Ministry embarks on World Patient Safety Day

Kandjemuni Kamuiiri THE Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS)’s Executive Director (ED), Ben Nangombe, says the ministry and partners in health are joined the rest of the World in commemorating World Patient Safety Day (WPSD) today. MoHSS aims to reduce maternal mortality from 385 (Namibia Demographic and Health Survey 2013) to at least 200 per 100,000 live births by 2021/22 and to reduce newborn mortality from 20 to 10 per 1,000 live births by 2021/22. WPSD, marked annually on 17 September, was established by the 72nd World Health Assembly in May 2019, following the adoption of resolution WHA72.6 on…
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Northern Namibia may become epicentre

Northern Namibia may become epicentre

Tujoromajo Kasuto Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), Executive Director, Ben Nangombe, is urging people in the north to comply with Covid-19 regulations or otherwise the northern part of the county might become the new epicentre. Nangombe however states that, “It is too early to say” to decide if as yet the north is the new Covid-19 epicentre in the country. He says people are urged to comply with the measures that are already in place, like the restriction of movement between the zones, to observe social distance, to sanitize, avoid unnecessary gatherings and so forth, as these measures…
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Vaccination campaign a success – Nangombe

Vaccination campaign a success – Nangombe

As the country moves towards achieving head immunity, the Windhoek Observer (WO) caught up with the Executive Director in the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Ben Nangombe (BN) and below is an extract of the brief interview: WO - Where do we stand as a country in terms of COVID-19 and the vaccination? BN - Namibia’s vaccination program has deployed two types of vaccine to date. These are Sinopharm and AstraZeneca. • As of today 24 May 2021: • A combined total of 62, 174 persons received their 1st first dose of either Sinopharm or Astrazeneca). • 5,810 are…
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Namibia spends over N$1 billion on Covid-19

Namibia spends over N$1 billion on Covid-19

Kandjemuni Kamuiiri Namibia has officially spent over N$1 billion up to date in its fight against Covid-19, Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) Executive Director, Ben Nangombe, revealed. According to information from MoHSS, N$747 million was spent last year on Covid-19, with N$458 million so far spent this year on vaccines. “We had a budget of N$747 million, that budget was executed for 2020. For now we have the resources provided in the budget of the Ministry of Health and Social Services but it’s not for Covid-19 in specific. It is for the response generally to health care. That…
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