A UN expert, Rosa Kornfeld, on Monday urged Namibia
Government to invest in healthcare as the projected growth rate for the older
population in sub-Saharan Africa was faster than any other region.
Kornfeld, at a news
conference in Windhoek, Namibia capital, said that failure to invest in the
sector would result in immense pressure on the country’s healthcare system.
The expert said that
the growing number of older people would be living with chronic diseases and
disability.
“Low population density
and accelerated levels of urbanisation have the potential to erode the
traditional family care system.
“Further investment by
the government in healthcare infrastructure is required to provide alternatives
to the older persons in rural areas,’’ she said.
Kornfeld said that care
could no longer be considered simply a family matter.
She called on the
government to step up its efforts to revise the Aged Persons Act in order to
fully provide for the rights, protection, care and welfare of older people.
The expert, who has
been in Namibia for the past three weeks, has a chance to meet with older
people and representatives of local authorities as well as civil society
representatives.
She was presenting
preliminary findings on a report which would come out in September.
Kornfeld commended the
government for its political determination and vision to improve the lives of
all Namibians by 2030, and how to protect their human rights.
She urged the
government to deliver on its promises.
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