Country profile - Primary healthcare and family medicine in Namibia.

Felicia Christians

doi:10.4102/phcfm.v12i1.2242

Felicia Christians

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4102/phcfm.v12i1.2242

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Abstract

Namibia is one of the least densely populated countries in Southern Africa. Namibia’s health services are twofold: private (serving 18% of the population with medical aid) and public (serving the remaining 82%). This, in part, is due to the country’s high income inequality. Access to healthcare is comparably good with 76% of the population living within a 10km radius of a healthcare facility. Yet, Namibia faces many challenges related to the provision of patient-centred primary health care (PHC). The provision of competent generalist doctors and family physicians has the potential to address the current health care challenges and priorities. The inclusion of family physicians in PHC teams will further aid such efforts.

Highlights

Namibia is one of the largest and least populated countries in Southern Africa, with a population of 2.45 million in 2018 and a surface area of 824 300 km[2]
Namibia is classified as an upper-middle-income country with a gross national income (GNI) per capita of $10 320
The national leadership at the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) began reforms to focus on transitioning to a system based on a central role for primary healthcare (PHC)

Summary

Introduction

Namibia is one of the largest and least populated countries in Southern Africa, with a population of 2.45 million in 2018 and a surface area of 824 300 km[2]. Namibia is classified as an upper-middle-income country with a gross national income (GNI) per capita (population) of $10 320. Before gaining independence from South Africa in 1990, Namibia’s healthcare system reflected a traditional medical model, which focussed mainly on hospital-based and curative services. The newly formed independent government of Namibia made a commitment to health as a fundamental human right and integrated racially divided communities into one healthcare system.

Results

Conclusion