Survival of the fittest
In a country with the highest income inequality in the world, where unemployment is at 50%, one would think an “Occupy Windhoek” might take shape. Not so…at least not yet. Globally, faith in institutions is deteriorating, largely due to poor resource allocation by governments. So where does Namibia stand? Its recent designation as an Upper Middle Income country may have taken away a perceived urgency in solving many problems. But there now exists urgency among external donors (in the area of HIV/AIDS) to transition a greater role to the government in funding and resource allocation.
Namibians (I generalize based on conversations/reading the local papers) are angry that their government is spending $15 million on luxury Mercedes for the highest public officials. One wonders, how many lives could be saved with that $15 million? How many nurses or doctors could be trained with that money? Okay, yes, $15 million is small potatoes in comparison to the US DoD budget. But I ask again, how many lives could be saved with that $15 million?
As I’m learning at site visits to TB/ART clinics, just one of the many challenges in this transition is training local clinical staff to meet the country’s health care needs. In some of these clinics, only 2 doctors and a handful of nurses tend to thousands. It’s a constant numbers game – funding, resource allocation, capacity building. And yet, this is the second least densely populated country on the planet (Mongolia takes first place). It is a place of stunning contrasts, and lifestyle is no exception. By sheer numbers, as an Upper Middle Income country, Namibia should be able to provide for anyone and everyone.
So why the disparity? Is Namibia where Charles Darwin meets Nouriel Roubini?
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