Staff Reporter
THE Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, Sanet Steenkamp, has officially inaugurated the Katima Mulilo Consulting Room of the University of Namibia (UNAM) Veterinary Academic Hospital.
Speaking at the event, Steenkamp highlighted the facility as the second branch of the hospital, headquartered in Windhoek, and a milestone in veterinary education, research, and community service. She said the strategic location within the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, which will offer final-year veterinary students real-world training while providing essential animal health services to farmers, pet owners, and wildlife custodians in the Zambezi region.
Photos: MICT Zambezi Regional Office
“This facility affirms that our national greatness is not only measured by financial success, but also by how we treat the most vulnerable amongst us — including the animals that sustain our livelihoods,” she said, adding that the centre would play a critical role in combating endemic diseases such as rabies and anthrax, and in preparing for emerging threats like Rift Valley Fever and avian influenza.
Steenkamp commended UNAM’s School of Veterinary Medicine for its role in producing 86 veterinarians to date, with 136 more in training. She urged the community to partner with UNAM by reporting animal health concerns promptly, emphasising the “One Health” approach that links animal, human, and environmental health.
The Katima Mulilo Consulting Room will also serve as a hub for research, diagnostics, and disease surveillance, strengthening Namibia’s animal health systems and contributing to food security.
“This is not just the opening of a building; it is the opening of opportunity, development, and transformation,” Steenkamp concluded.
