SPEECH BY PRESIDENT MARTTI AHTISAARI AT THE HANDING OVER CEREMONY FOR THE ENGELA HOSPITAL IN NAMIBIA

I had the pleasure to pay a visit here, to this very spot, three years ago and to help lay the foundation stone for the Engela Hospital that has now been completed. Today we can note with satisfaction that the expectations we harboured then are being fulfilled. Construction of the hospital has proceeded on schedule, and the result is here for us to see.

When we decided on the forms that cooperation between our countries would take, it seemed natural to concentrate on the health-care sector. That sector has indeed featured centrally in our programmes. We all know what inadequate or completely nonexistent health services mean for a population. We also knew then that the northern areas of Namibia were suffering both from the independence struggle and from the situation in Angola. For that reason, organised health care reached no more than a fraction of the population of this densely-inhabited region. When we conducted our first negotiations concerning cooperation with the new democratically elected government, it was easy for us to accept proposals that we participate in programmes intended to raise the standard of health care.

It is important to point out in this conjunction that missionary organisations and voluntary organisations bore substantial responsibility in the areas of both health care and education. They performed those tasks in an exemplary manner. We have seen in our own country that, despite the best of intentions, the State is not capable of comprehensively dealing with every task in the social sector. Responsibly conducted activities on the part of voluntary organisations, social communities and even families will continue to have a significant role. Thanks to the flexibility with which they are conducted, these activities supplement the tasks discharged by the State.

Hospital services provide the basis for health care. It must nevertheless be borne in mind that these services are only a part of a functioning health-care system. It pleases me to know that our cooperation will not be confined to building the Engela Hospital; just as much effort will be devoted to developing primary health services in the region. In this respect, too, the programme is a balanced totality. A factor of decisive importance in achieving a smoothly functioning system will be the skill and dedication of the personnel. This hospital will enable the personnel to give the people of the region a better service than in the past. Society should see to it that the resources of the health-care sector are used as efficiently as possible, and that adequate funding is made available to ensure that personnel and hospitals can operate well. I hope and believe that the Engela hospital and its personnel, underthese circumstances, fulfil their task in healing the sick and in improving the overall health situation.

By developing health care and education and by making them accessible to a growing proportion of the population we can eventually lessen inequality in society. Thus work of this kind can promote stable social development, which is in turn a prerequisite for economic growth and the rise that this brings about in the population's standard of living. On that basis it gives me pleasure to note that our cooperation in the health sector will continue within the framework of the fairly comprehensive agreement that will shortly be concluded.

On my behalf and that of the Finnish people, I wish to congratulate all of those who have been involved in this cooperation. This hospital is a demonstration of the excellent spirit of cooperation that prevails between Finland and Namibia.

I have the joy and honour to hand over to the people of Namibia, on behalf of the people of Finland, this outstanding example of what we have achieved by working together - the Engela Hospital.