The Ministry of Health and Social Services received N$11 million worth of COVID-19 medical equipment from the Bank of Namibia (BoN) recently.
The donation contained a list of medical equipment as well as the construction of an oxygen plant in the Zambezi Region and the refiling of an existing plant in Rehoboth.
Governor of the Bank Johannes !Gawaxab said the donation is to address actual needs at a national level. “The needs were identified through consultations with the Ministry’s officials and our own assessment,” he added.
!Gawaxab said that to avoid another debilitating wave, Namibians should trust vaccines that are one of modern medicine’s greatest success stories and agreed that vaccination is a rational decision to make because it decreases hospitalisation and fatalities.
Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Kalumbi Shangula said the contribution is further proof of the continued and determined efforts felt from all sectors in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We appreciate the generosity vision and leadership demonstrated by the Bank in supporting the socio-economic development of the country and we have learned over the past 18 months that COVID-19 is not only a health problem, but it is also a financial and economic problem,” he added.
The Bank’s sponsorship support to the Ministry this year totals N$14 million and they are also assisting in getting more people vaccinated through a radio campaign and the campaign’s goal is to convince and encourage Namibians to vaccinated by incentivising vaccination through a variety of interventions, including radio competitions that target students and the public.
