Fragmented, old-school systems hinder healthcare goals

Despite growing momentum toward digital transformation, Namibia’s public healthcare sector continues to grapple with fragmented and outdated systems that hamper service delivery.

Speaking at the opening of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) learning visit on e-birth notification and integrated civil registration systems, health minister Dr Esperance Luvindao acknowledged that systemic inefficiencies remain a major obstacle to effective service delivery.

“Despite our national progress in combating HIV, TB and improving maternal outcomes, our health system continues to face challenges related to fragmented information systems and paper-based records,” she said.

Luvindao highlighted long-standing disparities in access to healthcare as well as gaps in digital literacy and governance.

“Uneven access to services between rural and urban areas, gaps in digital literacy and data governance, and a heavy dependence on donor funding for technological innovation continue to affect the system,” she said.

“As such, digital health presents the most powerful lever to address these gaps."

Her remarks come as Namibia positions digital health as a central pillar in addressing these long-standing challenges, with government now shifting from planning to implementation under its new policy framework.

The minister emphasised that the ultimate goal is to improve the lives of citizens. “Digital transformation is not an end in itself. Its true purpose is to unlock efficiencies by linking the systems and services so that every data point represents a person, a story, as well as a right to services and wellbeing,” she said.

Digital shift gains urgency

Luvindao stressed that digital transformation is no longer optional but essential to improving healthcare outcomes.

"Electronic health records, telemedicine, artificial intelligence, and mobile health technology are no longer futuristic ideas but essential tools for achieving universal health coverage,” she said.

The minister added that digitisation would enable real-time data use, strengthen disease surveillance and improve the allocation of limited resources.

“When we digitise, we enable real-time data for decision-making, robust disease surveillance and response, and more efficient use of scarce human, financial and time resources,” Luvindao explained.

Worrying blind spots

A key concern raised was the disconnect between health services and civil registration systems, which has historically delayed official documentation such as birth registration.

“In the past, our health systems and our civil registration systems often operated in silos. A child would be born in a health facility, but the legal recognition of that child’s existence might be delayed for months or even years,” the minister pointed out.

She warned that such gaps create blind spots in national planning and undermine access to essential services.

Luvindao said Namibia is now entering a new phase of reform through its National Digital Health Policy (2026–2036), which aims to fully integrate digital solutions.

“This policy envisions a digitally empowered health system that ensures equitable, efficient and quality health services for all people in Namibia,” she said.

She noted that the initiative builds on earlier efforts under the national e-health strategy but now seeks to embed digital systems at every level of care.

While the vision is ambitious, Luvindao made it clear that implementation will depend on addressing structural constraints, including infrastructure gaps and limited technical capacity.

At the same time, Namibia is exploring new funding models to sustain digital investments. “Resource mobilisation is being spearheaded from a system-wide approach, entailing the national budget and innovative financing solutions,” Luvindao said.

“We will also explore ‘sin tax’ contributions, blended financing and mobile transaction levies in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance.”