WINDHOEK — 7 April 2010-The Namibian Government has allocated an additional amount of R366 million over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) which is a period of three years to the ministry of Health, Social Services.

The additional amount has been allocated to strengthen government's fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, as well as to boost the ministry's initiatives to upgrade health infrastructure and medical equipment.

Tabling the budget in Parliament the minister of finance Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said that the total budget vote for the health ministry over the next three years will increase to R8.2 billion.

Government has also made additional allocations to increase old age grants to R500 per month from the current R450, while payments to the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) grants have also been increased with R30 each per month.

In addition, school feeding programmes are to be expanded to increase coverage of OVCs to R200 000 by 2013, from the current R160 000.

The minister also announced that an additional R257 million is being channeled towards promoting rural development to accelerate the provision of proper sanitation infrastructures in rural areas and in small towns, villages and informal urban settlements.

This will bring the allocation to this sector to a total of R2.8 billion over the MTEF period.

To accelerate provision of low income housing, Namibia Housing Enterprise (NHE) will receive R50 million over the MTEF. It will further cooperate with GIPF to expand housing schemes for civil servants especially those in un-proclaimed areas. This will boost the housing provision Programme and also help attract skills to rural areas thus support quality health care and education service delivery in rural areas, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said.

Roping in government pension fund manager GIPF in the housing initiative will ensure that local savings are channeled towards supporting local development initiatives.

Lauding achievements in the health the minister said that anti-retroviral treatment is now being offered at 62 health facilities countrywide, an increase from only 34 hospitals. By 2013 anti-retroviral treatment will be offered at 104 health facilities.

Government says that 242 of the 256 antenatal care facilities are now offering prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission treatments.

Government has also availed additional resources towards the Cardiac unit in order to provide cardiology services to patients who need heart surgery.