The UNAIDS Situation Room is an innovative web-based platform that enables managers at all levels of the health system in Namibia to have access to HIV-related data in an easy and interactive manner. This tool uses automated, frequently updated data and data visualisation tools that are mobile and accessible at any time to help managers … Read more
Archive Namibia
Human Resource Capacity Development for ART and Pharmaceutical Services in Namibia, October 2014-September 2015
SIAPS Namibia applied the capacity building approach to support the Ministry of Health and Social Services to enhance the capacity of two local training institutions—UNAM-SoP and the NHTC—to train pharmacists and PAs, respectively. With SIAPS technical assistance for defining a career path for PAs, UNAM-SoP started training pharmacy technicians, a new cadre in Namibia. SIAPS also … Read more
Ensuring patient safety during HIV and TB treatment in Namibia
The SIAPS Namibia Project Director, Dr. Evans Sagwa, has advocated for adoption of strategies to ensure drug safety in TB and HIV treatment programs in the country. He made this call while delivering a public lecture on Friday, September 22, 2017, entitled “Strategies for optimizing patient safety in HIV and TB treatment programs in Namibia,” … Read more
Pediatric Antiretroviral Treatment Uptake, Treatment Adherence, Regimen Switches, and Retention in Care in Namibia
In Namibia, a preliminary review of EDT records suggests that children form a small proportion of the patients accessing ART in any given setting, nationally composing 8% of the patients on ART in the MoHSS facilities. Over the years, managing children has been complicated with formulations that have not been friendly for children, complicated regimens, and … Read more
SIAPS Voices: Working for improved access to HIV treatment in Namibia
A Q&A with Greatjoy Mazibuko, SIAPS Senior Technical Manager in Namibia You’re working in Namibia, which has one of the highest prevalence rates of HIV in the world. How does this affect life in the country? The prevalence of HIV infection stood at 17.2% in 2016, which is relatively high for sub-Saharan Africa, but it’s … Read more
SIAPS partners with the University of Namibia to host the third international medicine utilization research symposium
SIAPS provided technical assistance to the University of Namibia-School of Pharmacy (UNAM-SoP) in organizing the third international Medicines Utilisation Research in Africa (MURIA) workshop and symposium in Windhoek, June 26–28, 2017. With the theme of “Medicine utilisation research in Africa, influencing patient care and policy”, the conference highlighted the importance of building the capacity of … Read more
U.S. Ambassador visits Namibia clinic to unveil new SIAPS e-health innovation
The U.S. Ambassador to Namibia, H.E. Thomas Daughton, visited a hospital and clinic in the Oshana region of Namibia last week to unveil a new electronic stock card, an innovation that has greatly improved service delivery in the country. The Facility Electronic Stock Card (FESC) simplifies pharmaceutical inventory control tasks, allowing pharmacy staff to devote … Read more
Regulatory Approval of PrEP Regimen Boosts Namibia’s Campaign to end the HIV Epidemic
In a major advance against the spread of HIV, Namibia has approved the use of emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF/FTC) to prevent HIV infection. The Namibian Medicines Regulatory Council (NMRC) approved a generic version of the medicine, Ricovir EM®, which is manufactured by Mylan Pharmaceuticals. It is used in combination with other antiretroviral medications to treat … Read more
New Pharmacy Assistants Help Narrow the ART Dispensing Gap in Namibia
On June 1, 2017, 38 new pharmacy assistants (PAs) graduated from Namibia’s National Health Training Center (NHTC). At the graduation ceremony, Dr. Andreas Mwoombola, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS), encouraged the graduates to prioritize the health of their communities and to serve those communities with dignity. He decried … Read more
SMS Reminders Improve Patients’ Pharmacy Appointment-keeping for Antiretroviral Refills in Namibia
Patients on lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) may be at risk of forgetting their pharmacy appointments for antiretroviral (ARV) refills. The SMS-based ART pharmacy appointment and medication adherence reminder service provides automated text notifications to ART patients reminding them to pick up their ARV refills according to appointment dates made by pharmacy staff using the SIAPS-supported Electronic … Read more
