Steenkamp Inaugurates UNAM Katima Mulilo Veterinary Consulting Room

By Staff Reporter

Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, Hon. Sanet Steenkamp, has officially inaugurated the Katima Mulilo Veterinary Consulting Room, on Thursday at UNAM Katima Mulilo Campus.

This is a branch of the University of Namibia’s (UNAM) Veterinary Academic Hospital, marking a major milestone for animal health services in the Zambezi Region.

The inauguration was attended by regional leaders, traditional authorities, veterinary professionals, farmers, academics, and students. This facility is the second branch of the Veterinary Academic Hospital, which is headquartered in Windhoek.

Minister Steenkamp described the event as more than just the opening of a building, calling it “a milestone of vision and service” and “a step forward in our shared commitment to research, education, innovation, community development, and animal health.”

According to the Minister, the consulting room will be manned by four specialised veterinarians, with one dedicated entirely to patient consultations. The facility, equipped with a pharmacy, will serve multiple purposes from providing hands-on experience for final-year veterinary students to delivering essential services to farmers, pet owners, and wildlife custodians in the Zambezi Region.

She emphasised the critical link between animal health and human well-being, quoting Mahatma Gandhi: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Steenkamp added, “The health of the people of Zambezi is compromised if their animals are not well looked after. Today, we are declaring war on animal diseases in the region and we shall be victorious.”

Namibia has so far produced 86 veterinary doctors through UNAM, with all employed, and another 136 in training. The facility will also act as a research and surveillance hub for diseases such as rabies and anthrax, as well as emerging threats like Rift Valley Fever and Avian Influenza, recently reported in Botswana’s Chobe district.

Highlighting the “One Health” approach, Steenkamp said veterinary medicine is now a strategic pillar in national resilience and health security, especially in the face of climate change, pandemics, and food system vulnerabilities.

She commended UNAM’s leadership, the School of Veterinary Medicine, local authorities, farmers, and traditional leaders for their partnership in making the project a reality, urging the public to promptly report disease cases.

The Minister expressed hope that this branch would be the first of many across Namibia, serving as a model for decentralised veterinary service delivery. “We are not only opening a door to treatment of animals, but we are also opening a door to opportunity and development,” she said.

The event concluded with Minister Steenkamp officially declaring the Katima Mulilo branch of the UNAM Veterinary Academic Hospital open, pledging it will be a place of learning, service, and trust for the region.

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