The U.S. government is supporting the Ministry of Health and Social Services to hire 67 data clerks for a one-month period during the month of September. By increasing the Ministry’s capacity to analyse disease trends and patterns, Namibia is better able to understand and respond to healthcare needs of the population.
These data clerks will support the Ministry of Health to strengthen its electronic data systems. The 67 new positions will update HIV patient files in electronic systems, allowing doctors and nurses to have the patients’ most current information, regardless of the facility they visit. In addition, some data clerks will be assigned to enter COVID-19 patient information from paper forms into a new electronic data system. These activities will also increase the flow of information for monitoring at national level, which will help understand these epidemics, and improve planning and resource allocation.
The U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with funding from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), has spearheaded the process, with local recruitment agency Potentia Namibia Recruitment providing the technical expertise for the recruitment of these personnel.
“We are pleased that our support for human resources for health has a secondary benefit on the economy. Globally, these are difficult economic times, and whenever we have new jobs created, whether they are short or long term, they are a boost to our economies,” said Ambassador Lisa Johnson.
Every year, CDC Namibia, with funding from PEPFAR, supports over 450 healthcare positions in the Ministry of Health and Social Services. These positions include doctors, nurses, mentors, pharmacists, pharmacist assistants, and data clerks. The staffs increase the capacity of the Ministry of Health and Social Services to provide quality HIV prevention, care, and treatment services.
