Dental professionals feel sidelined in health ministry’s hiring push
• Letter to ministry protests exclusion
Tuyeimo HaidulaONDANGWA
Namibia’s young dental professionals have raised the alarm after the health ministry announced a major recruitment drive that excludes nearly all oral health practitioners, despite what they say is a nationwide shortage of dental services.
The ministry’s newly released recruitment list – published through circulars and advertisements, including in the state-owned New Era newspaper – creates new posts for medical officers across major hospitals such as Windhoek Central, Katutura Intermediate, Oshakati Intermediate and Onandjokwe.
A group of unemployed dentistry graduates has written to health minister Esperance Luvindao and the ministry’s executive director, Penda Ithindi.
In their letter, dated 20 November, they note that nursing has been allocated more than 100 new positions, while other professions, including pharmacy, physiotherapy, social work and emergency care, have each received dozens of posts.
The letter noted that the exclusion of dentistry posts comes “despite the fact that oral health is an essential component of general health, and despite the visible shortage of dental professionals in clinics, health centres and district hospitals”.
Struggling
They added that Namibia currently has around 100 qualified dentistry graduates who remain unemployed.
These are skilled young professionals who have completed their training and are ready to serve, they argued, yet vacancies are either not being created or are not being prioritised within the national budget.
In their letter to Ithindi, the graduates said the prolonged uncertainty has left many of them depressed and struggling to meet their basic needs, despite being educated professionals, as they have been unemployed for months – and some even years.
The group says they have written formal letters to the ministry, held meetings with the chief state dentist at national level, and engaged the ministry’s human resources division in February to highlight the acute shortage of dental practitioners in clinics, health centres and district hospitals. Despite these efforts, they say no concrete action has been taken.
“For Namibia to build a truly comprehensive, equitable and effective health system, oral health must be prioritised, and the professionals who provide these services must be given the opportunity to work,” the letter further states.
Crucial gaps
The graduates say the need is particularly acute in rural communities, where patients often rely on monthly outreach visits for dental care.
“Instead of having outreach visits, the ministry of health can employ dentists full-time at these posts, as there’s a shortage. They can’t be claiming there’s no money when there’s money for other fraternities,” the dentists argue.
They have also requested a meeting to discuss the current situation and the way forward.Recruitment drive in full swing
Neither Ithindi nor Luvindao responded to detailed questions sent to them by this publication.
This week, Luvindao announced that the ministry has launched an accelerated nationwide recruitment campaign aimed at strengthening health services and reducing congestion in health facilities across the country.
She said more than 2 000 positions have been created through savings, improved efficiency and the reallocation of funds in collaboration with the finance ministry and the National Planning Commission.
“The new intake includes 1 713 clinical staff and 337 non-clinical staff, with the goal of boosting capacity at hospitals, health centres and clinics,” the minister noted.
“We recognise that these recruitments will not meet all our needs, but we must start somewhere – and this is a good start,” she added in a video released by the health ministry. It remains unclear whether the dental graduates will be included in the 2 000 posts.
The ministry has encouraged all qualified and unemployed health professionals to apply and help build a stronger, more responsive national health system.
Namibia’s young dental professionals have raised the alarm after the health ministry announced a major recruitment drive that excludes nearly all oral health practitioners, despite what they say is a nationwide shortage of dental services.
The ministry’s newly released recruitment list – published through circulars and advertisements, including in the state-owned New Era newspaper – creates new posts for medical officers across major hospitals such as Windhoek Central, Katutura Intermediate, Oshakati Intermediate and Onandjokwe.
A group of unemployed dentistry graduates has written to health minister Esperance Luvindao and the ministry’s executive director, Penda Ithindi.
In their letter, dated 20 November, they note that nursing has been allocated more than 100 new positions, while other professions, including pharmacy, physiotherapy, social work and emergency care, have each received dozens of posts.
The letter noted that the exclusion of dentistry posts comes “despite the fact that oral health is an essential component of general health, and despite the visible shortage of dental professionals in clinics, health centres and district hospitals”.
Struggling
They added that Namibia currently has around 100 qualified dentistry graduates who remain unemployed.
These are skilled young professionals who have completed their training and are ready to serve, they argued, yet vacancies are either not being created or are not being prioritised within the national budget.
In their letter to Ithindi, the graduates said the prolonged uncertainty has left many of them depressed and struggling to meet their basic needs, despite being educated professionals, as they have been unemployed for months – and some even years.
The group says they have written formal letters to the ministry, held meetings with the chief state dentist at national level, and engaged the ministry’s human resources division in February to highlight the acute shortage of dental practitioners in clinics, health centres and district hospitals. Despite these efforts, they say no concrete action has been taken.
“For Namibia to build a truly comprehensive, equitable and effective health system, oral health must be prioritised, and the professionals who provide these services must be given the opportunity to work,” the letter further states.
Crucial gaps
The graduates say the need is particularly acute in rural communities, where patients often rely on monthly outreach visits for dental care.
“Instead of having outreach visits, the ministry of health can employ dentists full-time at these posts, as there’s a shortage. They can’t be claiming there’s no money when there’s money for other fraternities,” the dentists argue.
They have also requested a meeting to discuss the current situation and the way forward.Recruitment drive in full swing
Neither Ithindi nor Luvindao responded to detailed questions sent to them by this publication.
This week, Luvindao announced that the ministry has launched an accelerated nationwide recruitment campaign aimed at strengthening health services and reducing congestion in health facilities across the country.
She said more than 2 000 positions have been created through savings, improved efficiency and the reallocation of funds in collaboration with the finance ministry and the National Planning Commission.
“The new intake includes 1 713 clinical staff and 337 non-clinical staff, with the goal of boosting capacity at hospitals, health centres and clinics,” the minister noted.
“We recognise that these recruitments will not meet all our needs, but we must start somewhere – and this is a good start,” she added in a video released by the health ministry. It remains unclear whether the dental graduates will be included in the 2 000 posts.
The ministry has encouraged all qualified and unemployed health professionals to apply and help build a stronger, more responsive national health system.
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