Sience, Technology and Innovation Division (STID)

Permanent URI for this community

http://hdl.handle.net/11070/689

Browse

Browsing Sience, Technology and Innovation Division (STID) by Author "Amadhila, Elina"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Equity and core concepts of human rights in Namibian health policies
    (2013) Amadhila, Elina; Van Rooy, Gert; McVeigh, Joanne; Mannan, Hasheem; MacLachlan, Malcolm; Amin, Mutamad
    Delivering health services to vulnerable populations is a significant challenge in many countries. Groups vulnerable to social, economic, and environmental challenges may not be considered or may be impacted adversely by the health policies that guide such services.We report on the application of EquiFrame, a novel policy analysis framework, to ten Namibian health policies, representing the top ten health conditions in Namibia identified by the World Health Organization. Health policies were assessed with respect to their commitment to 21 Core Concepts of human rights and their inclusion of 12 Vulnerable Groups. Substantial variation was identified in the extent to which Core Concepts of human rights and Vulnerable Groups are explicitly mentioned and addressed in these health policies. Four health policies received an Overall Summary Ranking of High quality; three policies were scored as having Moderate quality; while three were assessed to be of Low quality. Health service provision that is equitable, universal, and accessible is instigated by policy content of the same. EquiFrame may provide a novel and valuable tool for health policy appraisal, revision, and development.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Perceived barriers to accessing health services among people with disabilities in rural northern Namibia
    (2012) Van Rooy, Gert; Amadhila, Elina; Mufune, Pempelani; Swartz, Leslie; MacLachlan, Malcolm
    People living with disabilities (PWD) face unique problems in dealing with con-ventional healthcare facilities. We investigate the experiences of PWD as they access healthcare facilities in rural Namibia. More specifically, we investigate structural–environmental and process barriers to accessing health facilities. The study relied on semi-structured interviews and purposive sampling. The results showed PWD find it difficult to walk to health centers for treatment due to lackof transport, money to pay for treatment and toilet facilities and the distance is too far for people with lower-limb disabilities. There is a need to consider the unique issues affecting access to healthcare for people living with disabilities to achieve equitable access to healthcare services.