Hertta-Maria Amutenja
Namibia’s health sector is grappling with a critical shortage of healthcare professionals, despite the government’s efforts to fill vacant positions.
This was raised by the Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, during his address at the National Health and Social Services Conference this week.
“When I visit hospitals, the main concern is the shortage of critical professionals. Although most vacant posts are filled, the need for extra manpower remains,” he said.
Shangula called for urgent measures to resolve the staff shortage issues, which he said are affecting the delivery of essential services in hospitals across the country.
“I must state that I am not happy with the pace of restructuring. There seems also to be a misunderstanding in the application of the compensatory-reduction principle,” said Shangula.
Shangula urged the human resource directorate to provide clearer guidance to regional health management teams, noting that health professionals are task-specific and the ministry is one of the few ministries where the compensatory-reduction principle applies.
He acknowledged that while the ministry had successfully filled 506 health positions in 2023—including registered nurses, pharmacists, and dentists—more needs to be done.
The goal, according to Shangula, is to double these figures in 2024 to ensure hospitals are better equipped to handle growing demands.
The minister also called for improvements to the quality of healthcare services, expressing concern over reports of unprofessional conduct by some healthcare staff.
In terms of infrastructure development, Shangula announced that the ministry has commenced work on the Windhoek District Hospital.
He confirmed that the ministerial procurement committee had approved the bidding documents for bulk sewer reticulation, electricity supply, and access roads.
“Despite what naysayers may say, this project is proceeding. We have the budget for it, and the funds are allocated in the relevant Medium Expenditure Frameworks,” said Shangula.
