Namibia News

The Business Management System (BMS) is a comprehensive suite of tools designed to support the planning and implementation of organizational policies, practices, guidelines, processes, and procedures. It facilitates the development, deployment, and execution of business strategies and related management activities. To prepare for the upcoming rollout of BMS, each country office was tasked with conducting a User Experience (UX) Lab to familiarize staff with the new system.

On 12 June 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) joined the Namibia Blood Transfusion Service (NamBTS), the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS), and other partners in commemorating World Blood Donor Day under the global theme, “Give blood, give hope: together we save lives”. This annual event serves as a powerful tribute to the millions of voluntary, unpaid blood donors who selflessly give others a second chance at life.

From 21 to 23 May 2025, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology (AT) Technical Working Group and other partners, convened a national workshop in Windhoek to develop the country’s first National Rehabilitation and AT Strategic Plan. The workshop focused on reviewing the findings of the recent situation assessment and confirming strategic priorities to address identified country-specific gaps effectively.

To reaffirm shared commitment to the SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands campaign and raise awareness about hand hygiene in healthcare settings, Namibia commemorated the World Hand Hygiene Day at Windhoek Central Hospital on 08 May 2025. The event served as a reminder of the importance of reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and combating antimicrobial resistance through the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) programme.

On 28 – 30 April 2025, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, convened a three-day Joint External Evaluation (JEE) Planning and Stakeholder Orientation meeting in Windhoek. The meeting marked a significant milestone in Namibia’s ongoing efforts to continuously assess and evaluate the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) core capacities with the aim to assess the countries progress in developing capacities for prevention, timely detection, reporting and response.

On April 7, 2025, in Katima Mulilo, Zambezi region, Namibia launched a year-long campaign, in commemoration of World Health Day. Under the theme Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures, the campaign aims to strengthen health systems and enhance service delivery to reduce maternal and child deaths. By focusing on improving healthcare access, training, and infrastructure, the initiative seeks to ensure that every mother and child in Namibia has the opportunity for a healthy and hopeful future.

On 28 March 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO), together with the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) and other partners, came together for the national observance of World Tuberculosis (TB) Day in Tsandi, Omusati Region. The theme for this year, "Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver," served as a powerful reminder of the collective action needed to combat TB worldwide.

On 17 March 2025, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), launched the National Multi-Hazard Emergencies Preparedness and Response Plan (NMHEPRP) and the Handbook for Public Health Emergency Operations Centres (PHEOC) in Windhoek.

The escalating mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other countries was declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) by the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on 14 August 2024.

Over 120 countries have confirmed more than 106 000 cases of mpox since the onset of the global outbreak in 2022. In 2024, there has been an upsurge of mpox in the DRC and neighbouring countries, with about 68,999 suspected cases and approximately 1,255 deaths reported across 21 countries in the WHO African Region as of 12 December 2024.

The Namibia Medicines Regulatory Council (NMRC) with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), conducted an intensive training workshop on dossier assessment in Windhoek from 2 to 13 December 2024. The program equipping participants with comprehensive skills in dossier evaluation for pharmaceutical products.