Namibia

NAMIBIA COVID-19 spurs technology revolution in Namibian healthcare

The challenge will lie in how respective legislation frameworks will need to be aligned to provide clear guidance and ensure that services meet the minimum quality standards.

The far-reaching effects of COVID-19 did not leave Namibia unscathed. Namibia was in some respects fortunate to be able to learn from other countries’ experiences as its confirmed cases were slower to escalate than in most other countries. However, we still faced unique challenges, not least of which resulted from our continued reliance on neighbouring countries for the importation of many goods.

The private hospitals formed an efficient and effective alliance, working together to make private isolation facilities available for those Namibians on a private medical aid fund and absorbing any overflow from state facilities. Windhoek’s four largest private hospitals devised an action plan to manage the projected influx of postitive COVID-19 cases with a phased-in approach. This proved to be very successful and a commendable achievement. The Namibian Association of Private Health Facilities (NAPH) took charge of the dissemination of information received from the Ministry of Health and Social Services, and any other relevant institutions, to all private healthcare facilities.

COVID-19 assisted with the technology revolution by changing current mentalities. Medical aid funds learned, contrary to previous convictions, that they could provide effective services remotely. Technology advances allowed call centre and managed care services staff, as well as claims processing personnel, to work from home while continuing to monitor both quality and output.

The establishment of telemedicine as a means to provide care became a reality and has been adopted by some funds. Telemedicine is a cost-effective solution to provide broader access to private healthcare services, especially given the vast expanse of Namibia. It is well accepted that telemedicine will continue to gain momentum. The challenge will lie in how respective legislation frameworks will need to be aligned to provide clear guidance and ensure that services meet the minimum quality standards.

Callie Schafer, Principal Officer at Namdeb Medical Aid Scheme

The saying goes that ‘no man is an island’ and going forward it has become clear that healthcare communities in the SADC region need to stand together and support one another through such crises. Sharing of pertinent information is essential as we can all learn from each other and assist each other to find best-practice solutions to tackle common challenges.

A constant thorn in the side of productive healthcare is the misappropriation of resources, and this was painfully clear during the pandemic when the shortage of personal protective equipment caused great concern among healthcare workers. The SADC countries would do well to support each other in resolving crises through developing ways of cooperating to facilitate procurement and delivery of essential supplies, such as medicines, equipment and foodstuffs, as well as with regard to price regulation and data sharing. Through the Namibian spirit of ‘Harambee’ – which means ‘to pull together in the same direction’ – the SADC can ensure our people have access to quality healthcare and that the health citizen’s best interests are first and foremost. Current regulators should be open to accepting new ways of practising.

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