Providing Namibia with medical care

39 Egyptian medical professionals and specialists in different sectors are now in Namibia to give healthcare services for a week.

They came on Friday and are assessing patients already, providing medicine, doing operations, and fitting prostatic arms and legs.

Egyptian ambassador Wael Lotfy said to Vital Signs that the globe was undergoing a lot and Africa should get priority and attention. They intended to solve the local shortfall in the field of medical service.

“This team carried N$10 million in medication to do operations and give basic healthcare, particularly to children,” he added.

This is the seventh group of medical practitioners who have come to aid the country's medical needs in recent years.

They have come here through the Egyptian Coptic church and the Coptic Medical Association of North America (CMANA).

In the middle-east and Egypt the Coptic Orthodox Church is a major Christian group. The church had played a major role in the Arab Renaissance. It also had a hand in modernizing Egypt and the Arab world. It contributed to the social, political, and critical topics such as good governance, reforms, educational, Abrahamic thoughts, and democracy. In Sub-Saharan Africa there are several Coptic centers, including 50 in Kenya and 12 in South Africa. The medical charity organization of North America with a branch in Egypt dispatched the physicians to Namibia to give medical services to marginalized populations and mentor healthcare practitioners with leadership skills and education.

Lotfy said that the Egyptian Government’s support has cleared the door for Egyptian institutions and non-governmental organizations to follow and do the same. Earlier CMANA dispatched doctors, pharmacists, physical therapists, paramedics, and occupational therapists.

"We aim to perfect support. We want Namibians to make healthier and better choices. They shouldn't have to decide whether to obtain medication or food, he said.

Lotfy said that the long-term objective was promotion of Egyptian medicines in Namibia and develop a business based on common agreements of both countries, and it would benefit the public. The relationship between Namibia and Egypt extends back to before independence. The Arab nation had provided training to the country's naval and defense services. "Besides physicians, we've educated engineers, agriculturalists, and teachers. Namibians came to Egypt for training, he observed. In their arrival ceremony, the minister for international relations Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah thanked the team for their choice of Namibia to carry out the noble and charitable work of health service to its nationals, especially at this critical juncture when people are continuously facing the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

She said that she was impressed by the association's purpose and strategic goals, which were religiously based and strived to improve the lives of less fortunate individuals at little cost. Nandi-Ndaitwah said the Coptic Church of Egypt, one of the registered members of the Council of Churches in Namibia, plans to develop a community and medical center in Ondangwa, Oshana area, for children and youth. The center will provide health and educational programs along with vocational training to young and underprivileged individuals to improve their quality of life.

"Our Constitution states that citizens have a right to free association. As a government, we would guarantee a favorable atmosphere for your organization to carry out its great mission”, she said.