Press Release

Launching of the 1st Anti-retroviral (ARV) Clinic at the military hospital in Grootfontein, 30 March 2009

The U.S. Embassy invited the Namibian media to witness the launch of the very 1st ARV clinic at the Army Headquarters in Grootfontein by Honorable Charles Namoloh, Minister of Defence, and H.E Dennise Mathieu, Ambassador of the United States of America to Namibia, on Monday 30 March 2009 at 08.30.

The ARV clinic, to be known as “Fountain of Hope,” was renovated under the framework of the United States President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), to provide accessible, and high quality, HIV/AIDS treatment services to Ministry of Defence/Namibian Defence Force (MOD/NDF) members.  It will also promote safe sexual behavior through prevention education and information, including male circumcision, counseling and testing, as well as the promotion and distribution of condoms to military personnel.

The U.S. Department of Defense, through its partner International Training and Education Centre for HIV (I-TECH), provided training to NDF health personnel (an ARV clinician, laboratory technicians, nurses and counselors and data clerks) to manage the ARV Clinic, renovated the facility and procured treatment and laboratory equipment, including CD4 testing machines to allow the military to conduct and analyze tests at their own facility.  A paper-based Health Management Information System (HMIS) was also established to be managed by trained MOD/NDF members for the purposes of capturing data related to HIV/AIDS in the military.

The contribution of the US Government, through the Department of Defense, for the establishment of the ARV clinic at the Military Hospital is worth U$350,000 (N$3, 5 million).

For more information, please contact Public Affairs Officer, Ray Castillo, at 0811280816, or Information Assistant, Roger Lyners, at 229801 (ext. 226).