Niël Terblanché
The country’s public health system has received a boost with the delivery of new medical equipment funded by the United States government.
The ministry of health and social services accepted the consignment on Thursday in Windhoek.
Executive director Penda Ithindi said the donation reflects the ministry’s commitment to evidence-based planning and collaboration.
“The equipment being handed over today is the tangible outcome of such collaborative mechanisms,” Ithindi said during the handover ceremony attended by officials from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and other partners.
He said the goal is to give healthcare workers the tools they need to do their jobs effectively.
The donated items include laboratory analysers, IT hardware, and clinic furniture. These were selected based on priority needs identified in recent nationwide assessments.
Although a full inventory was not released, the ministry said the equipment fills gaps in diagnostics, digital record-keeping, and frontline service delivery.
It builds on previous US-supported investments, including cold-chain systems and electronic patient monitoring.
Ithindi reminded health workers that technology alone will not improve outcomes.
“Equipment alone cannot deliver services; it is our people, guided by policy and empowered by tools, who will transform our vision into reality,” he said.
He praised internal technical teams for conducting the assessments and managing logistics.
“I want to commend the technical teams and administrators within the ministry for coordinating this process, ensuring needs assessments were done and logistics were managed,” he said.
US Chargé d’Affaires Brandon Hudspeth, PEPFAR coordinator Cheryl Amoroso, and acting CDC country director Dr Peter Minchella joined Namibian officials at the event.
They reaffirmed Washington’s support for Namibia’s HIV response and overall health system resilience.
Ithindi called for continued cooperation.
“Let us move forward, hand in hand, towards world-class health for all,” he said.
