Namibia's Ministry of Health Begins Costing Revised Health Services Package

The Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services has initiated its first evaluation for the costing of the revised Essential Health Services Package. The Namibia Essential Health Services Package Core Team, depicted from left to right: Dr Sikota Zeko (WHO Representative), Ms Evangeline Paulus (National Community Based TB Care Chief Health Program Officer, MOHSS), Mr Ambrosius Uakurama (Deputy Director: Health Financing, MOHSS), Ms  Naemi Shoopala (Acting Director of Special Programs and Chairperson of the Essential Health Services Package Technical Working Group, MOHSS), Mr Munyaradzi Mareke (Senior Health Financing Advisor, LHSS Namibia) and Mr Albert Tjaronda (Chief Health Program Officer: Policy and Planning, MOHSS).

The essential health services package (EHSP) core team of the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) conducted its inaugural review of the costing report for the revised EHSP on January 29, 2024, in Windhoek. The revised EHSP aims to ensure universal access to essential health services, address inequalities, and allocate resources based on health priorities.

The USAID-funded Local Health System Sustainability Project  (LHSS) is providing technical support to the MOHSS in the revision of the EHSP. This involves collaborating closely with key stakeholders to prioritize services for inclusion in the package, systematically applying the prioritization criteria to health services not presently available in Namibia and facilitating their ranking for potential inclusion in the EHSP. As a result, a comprehensive list of health services has been compiled. To support decision-making around the inclusion of services in the EHSP, LHSS Namibia is supporting the costing of the EHSP to develop scenarios using current costs and estimated healthcare needs to project budget impact, financing requirements, and the affordability of the EHSP.