Remarks

Remarks by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Country Director, Jeff Hanson, at the Inauguration of the Eenhana ART Clinic
September 25, 2009

Good morning.   It is a great pleasure to join you for the opening of this beautiful new antiretroviral treatment clinic.  I am also honored to represent the U.S. Ambassador, Denise Matthieu, who could not be with us today, but whose leadership has inspired all of us to achieve the results we see in this new center. I would also like to thank President Pohamba, Minister of Health Kamwi, and the committed group of Namibian colleagues who have guided this project to completion.  Our thanks, as well, to the physicians, nurses, pharmacists, community counselors, and support staff who will make this clinic a place of healing.

The healing work that will be done here is essential.  As we all know, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has impacted Namibia more powerfully than almost any other country on Earth. This impact has, tragically, been measured in thousands of lives lost.  But recently, the impact has also been measured in lives saved – lives rescued by the very antiretroviral drugs that will be administered here in Eenhana.

Minister Kamwi, at similar clinic openings you have referred to the construction or renovation of health facilities as a “priority.”  I share your sense of urgency on this issue, as does the global PEPFAR initiative.  In addition to expanding access to life-saving antiretroviral therapy, this clinic – the very building itself – can help to address other critical issues.  Among these:

• New, clean, facilities can motivate staff, improve morale, and lead to better retention.
• Good ventilation in clinical and administrative areas can reduce and control the spread of other infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis.
• State-of-the-art diagnostic equipment can return results to patients in a more timely manner. These efficiencies can convince more patients to return to the clinic for routine monitoring, and improve overall ART adherence.

And so, two kinds of priorities served here.  First and foremost, more people in this area can now access care and treatment. By any measure, that is an objective we can all be proud to have supported. But let us not forget that these impersonal, inanimate objects – the bricks, glass, tile and plaster used in this building – also serve a deeper, fundamentally human priority: The need for shelter; for community; for compassion; for cooperation; and for healing.

CDC and PEPFAR are proud to support construction projects like this.  Facilities like this clinic are, after all, foundations on which strong healthcare services may be delivered to those in need.  I stress the word healthcare since ART services should not – and do not – operate in a vacuum.  As the new PEPFAR coordinator, Dr. Eric Goosby, has stressed since his appointment in June, “Building health systems to adequately respond to HIV/AIDS means [building] systems that can better respond to other health issues, as well.”

On behalf of Ambassador Matthieu and the entire USG PEPFAR team in Namibia, I look forward to working with you all to continue strengthening Namibia’s healthcare system.  I am, again, pleased and honored to share the podium today with President Pohamaba and Minister Kamwi.  In closing, I would like to extend our congratulations and thanks to the members of the design, construction, engineering teams whose work made this building a reality, and wish a hearty welcome to the staff whose dedication and professionalism will soon fill these rooms.

Thank you.