N$6 b health budget not enough: LAC

THE new budgetary allocation for the health sector is not sufficient to overcome the challenges the Health Ministry has to face, the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) has criticised.

“The LAC does not believe the N$6,4 billion for health – 26 per cent more than last year – is enough to meet the perennial challenges besieging the Ministry, especially the programme for anti-retroviral therapy for HIV-infected people, infrastructure dilapidation and generally improve working conditions for staff.” In a statement issued on Friday, the project co-ordinator of the LAC’s AIDS Law Unit, Amon Ngavetene, said the 9,5 per cent of the total budgetary allocation for the new financial year was below the 15 per cent target set by a conference of African health ministers in April 2007.”We hope that with this allocation tied with responsible and accountable spending, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to health will have a chance to be progressively realised as we move towards 2015 [the deadline for achieving the MDGs],” Ngavetene said.In a statement issued on Friday, the project co-ordinator of the LAC’s AIDS Law Unit, Amon Ngavetene, said the 9,5 per cent of the total budgetary allocation for the new financial year was below the 15 per cent target set by a conference of African health ministers in April 2007.”We hope that with this allocation tied with responsible and accountable spending, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to health will have a chance to be progressively realised as we move towards 2015 [the deadline for achieving the MDGs],” Ngavetene said.