In the new company, the health services of the three dioceses are integrated into one management structure, to help improve efficiency and quality of care. The company board will supervise 16 Catholic health facilities in this southern African nation of 1.7 million.
Speaking at the launch of the company, the World Health Organization representative in Namibia, M.P. Mandara, insisted that WHO has a role in the provision of health care and that services should not be left to the Ministry of Health and Social Services alone.
Another speaker, the United Nations Children´s Fund representative in Namibia, Khin Sandi Lwin, said that UNICEF has been a partner with the Church in the areas of preventive and curative health. She said this partnership should be strengthened in the face of the HIV/AIDS crisis.