HIV Clinicians Society

MAY 2004 — Namibia has a very active private health sector, including private hospitals, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and social workers. Large and medium sized companies and the public sector provide access to health insurance for their employees. Therefore a not insignificant number of Namibians are covered under health insurance plans and use the private sector for health care. 

With funding from USG, FHI guidance and support was instrumental in establishing the Namibian HIV Clinicians Society. The newly created society with over 100 active members will ensure that private practitioners understand the importance of correct management of HIV according to the national treatment guidelines. In March 2004, with USG/FHI support, the Society organized a 3-day Continuous Professional Development seminar on HIV disease management and ART attended by 63 health professionals.

The Minister of Health and Social Services gave the keynote address and stressed the importance of a strong partnership between the public and private health sector and congratulated the HIV Clinicians Society for their effort to establish a network of well-qualified health professionals providing clinical care for HIV. 

According to private medical claim information, over 2,600 persons received some form of ART in 2003. This number will grow over the next years, and although the majority of patients are prescribed adequate treatment, a number of patients receive suboptimal or even inappropriate treatment. Inadequate treatment provides no long-term health gains for the patients. Moreover, it encourages resistant strains of the viruses that no longer respond to treatment. With the establishment of the HIV Clinicians Society and continued support for training under the President's Emergency Initiative, the Society will be strengthened to provide adequate treatment according to national guidelines.

Photo: Namibian Minister of Health Libertina Amadhila hands a gift to meeting facilitator Peter Adams, who has been on antiretroviral treatment for nine years. (Courtesy of Die Republikein)