The conference is viewed as a platform for health professionals to network and learn about new developments in their fields.

The opening day saw presentations on on how to handle snakebites (specifically zebra snake), the management of hypertension during pregnancy, and managing emergencies in cardio-thoracic trauma.

Among the presenters was South African heart specialist, Professor Peter Zilla, who earlier this year led a team of South African and Namibians in performing the first open-heart surgeries in Namibia.

Opening the conference, Health and Social Services Minister Dr Richard Kamwi said the focus on "emergencies in medicine" was especially appropriate given the increasing medical emergencies and natural disasters experienced in Namibia of late.

"As a result ...

the health sector faces many challenges, including disease outbreaks such as cholera and other diarrhoeal diseases.

Similarly, we are also witnessing a considerable increase of trauma cases due to road traffic accidents, domestic violence and occupational-related cases," he added.

Kamwi also reported on decisions made by World Health Organisation (WHO) member countries, including Namibia, in April during a conference in Burkina Faso.

These embrace increasing government expenditure on public health to at least 15 per cent of the budget; introducing exemptions and waivers of fees for pensioners, people with disabilities, very poor people, and orphans and vulnerable children.

Other decisions included increasing staff members, improving training, higher pay and incentives for public health workers and strengthening the partnership between the public and private health sectors.

"It is against this background that I wish to appeal to all medical practitioners, particularly those in the private sector, be they citizens or on work permits courtesy of the Government of Namibia, to volunteer their time and skills in order to complement Government's efforts at State-owned health facilities," Kamwi said.

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