Press Release

Namibian-U.S. Partnership Launches New ART Clinic

The Okongo ART Clinic was inaugurated on Friday, October 30, 2009, at the Okongo Hospital Complex, 80 kilometers from Eenhana in the Ohangwena Region.  The keynote speaker was the Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr. Richard Nchabi Kamwi, M.P., and the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Windhoek, Mr. Matt Harrington, delivered remarks at the occasion.

The Okongo ART clinic is one of five ART treatment clinics being newly renovated in Namibia with N$10,909,573.00 in funding from the U.S. Government through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).  Research and the conducting of feasibility studies on these five projects started in 2002. The project to renovate these five ART clinics was approved in January 2007, and construction began on the Okongo project in the second half of 2008. PEPFAR contributed N$2,076,509.52 to the Okongo project.

 The CDC Global AIDS Program Namibia office was launched in September 2002.  CDC assists the Namibia Ministry of Health and Social Services in combating the HIV epidemic.  CDC works to reduce HIV transmission and provide treatment and care for those already infected with HIV and tuberculosis (TB). CDC provides extensive technical expertise to help increase laboratory capacity to support antiretroviral therapy (ART), prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission services, Early Infant Diagnosis, and TB diagnosis.

Following the lead of the country's President and Minister of Health, the Government of Namibia is committed to supporting a full range of prevention, treatment and care programs for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, including orphans and vulnerable children.  Since 2000, the U.S. Government has supported Namibia's efforts to build effective, community-based responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.  All activities in Namibia supported by PEPFAR are guided by the government of Namibia's National Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS, which outlines its comprehensive vision to combat the epidemic.

For further information, please contact Public Affairs Officer, Lisa Heilbronn at 0811280816, or Information Assistant, Roger Lyners at 229801 [ext. 226].

Click here to read the remarks made by Deputy Chief of Mission, Matt Harrington.