N$7 billion not enough for health – Kavetuna

HEALTH deputy minister Juliet Kavetuna on Saturday said the N$7 billion health budget was not enough to ensure universal healthcare.

She said this at a Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) event marking World Cancer Day in Windhoek.

As part of the day’s events, CAN hosted a training session for volunteers in childhood cancer.

It was while speaking at this function that the deputy minister said of the N$7 billion allocated to health in the current budget, N$3,5 billion had gone to salaries, while the rest had to cover other costs such as infrastructure and facilities’ upgrades.

“Our mandate as a ministry is to provide healthcare, but unfortunately we have different ways of carrying out this mandate,” Kavetuna said.

Referring to healthcare provision in Cuba, she said she wished that Namibia could also offer quality healthcare free for all.

“In Cuba, they do not have private hospitals because they believe that when it comes to healthcare, there is no class,” she said, adding that Namibia was not close to achieving universal healthcare.

She added that to achieve universal healthcare, a multi-sectoral approach which included the private sector was needed.

While recognising that prevailing socio-economic conditions did not allow for a balanced diet for many, the deputy minister said Namibians could do their part to fight cancer by improving their nutritional circumstances in order to reduce risk factors.

Also speaking at the event, CAN chief executive officer Rolf Hansen said it was important to realise that there was a range of risk factors. He said the biggest challenge in the fight against cancer was that most people did not go for check-ups, while others ignored symptoms.

Paediatric oncologist Dr Lahja Kauluma said there were about 96 000 childhood cancer deaths per year globally.

She said that 90% of cancers were due to unknown factors, while less than 5% was a result of environmental exposure.

Kauluma added that leukaemia topped the list of childhood cancers, and that many cases of retinoblastoma were now being recorded.

“Most of the leukaemia cases start with bone ache, where the child just does not want to walk. Most of the time, parents and caretakers will notice lumps in the abdomen, testes and glands,” she said.

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