Luvindao slams unprofessional, late health workers

Health minister Dr Esperance Luvindao has issued a stern warning to healthcare workers who report late for work, saying it undermined healthcare.“Arriving late to work is not a minor administrative oversight,” the minister said earlier this week.“It is an injustice to the patients waiting for you. It disrupts service delivery, compromises urgent care and erodes the trust our people place in us,” Luvindao said while speaking at the inauguration of the N$8.9 million Mabushe Primary Health Care Clinic.The clinic is located in the Mashare constituency of the Kavango East region and the new 13-room facility replaces an older version whose operations were repeatedly disrupted by seasonal flooding.Luvindao urged Mabushe clinic staff to observe working hours and demonstrate “an absolute sense of duty, care and accountability".“Patients should never have to suffer unnecessarily because the professionals entrusted with their lives are not at their duty stations,” she added.Unprofessional conductHer warning follows concerns she previously raised about doctors arriving late at public health facilities and leaving before the end of their working hours.Luvindao recently told parliament that the ministry was piloting a biometric attendance system at selected hospitals, following complaints from communities about doctors’ punctuality and specialists leaving state facilities for private practice while patients waited in queues.She said the system would enable the ministry to monitor when staff report for duty and leave.Thousands depend on clinicThe clinic serves a considerable number of patients. Between January and September this year, it recorded 13 894 outpatient consultations, 75 antenatal care visits, 245 family planning visits and 390 immunisation visits. Six babies were also delivered under emergency circumstances.“These are not just numbers on a page; they are lives touched, protected and saved,” Luvindao said.The facility serves an estimated population of more than 5 000 people from Mabushe and 17 surrounding villages.Of the clinic's 16 approved positions, 13 have been filled, representing a staffing rate of 81.3%. Luvindao said the facility had also created employment opportunities for qualifying local residents in administrative and support service positions.Government invested close to N$9 million into the revamped clinic.Its elevated location is intended to minimise flooding risks and provide a safer environment for patients and healthcare workers.

Luvindao slams unprofessional, late health workers

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Namibian Sun 2026-11-13

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Luvindao slams unprofessional, late health workers

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Namibian Sun 2026-11-13

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