Namibia’s first paediatric cardiologist quits, cites threats

Namibia's first paediatric cardiologist, Dr Fenny Shidhika, has submitted her resignation from the health ministry with immediate effect, citing what she describes as humiliation, threats, damage to her reputation and pressure to compromise healthcare standards.In a resignation letter dated 7 October, seen by Namibian Sun, Shidhika said her decision followed a series of experiences that had made it difficult for her to continue working within the ministry.The letter was addressed to health minister Dr Esperance Luvindao, executive director Penda Ithindi and other senior ministry officials.“I would like to kindly alert you that I have made the decision to resign with immediate effect from the Ministry of Health and Social Services. This outcome culminates from a collection of unpleasant events that I now strongly believe now is the right time to go,” she wrote.Shidhika, who helped develop Namibia's specialised paediatric cardiac services, thanked the ministry for supporting her career.“The ministry supported my development to become the first paediatric cardiologist in Namibia. I am most grateful for this opportunity and for the opportunity to serve my country,” she wrote.“It is an organisation I treasured and served with utmost dedication. I owed this dedication to the organisation and to the country. I tried my best to promote the highest quality and standards of care; I tried to be a patriot. It does not need acknowledgement; I gave what I had."‘Constant threats’However, Shidhika said her experiences had reached a point where she could no longer continue.“As a matter of conscience, I am no longer in a position to handle the level of humiliation, character assassination to reduce me and counter my relevance, ill motives, constant threats, investigations not led by the courts and institutional pressure to accept mediocrity for modus operandi and accept the most minimum standards in healthcare,” she wrote.“I no longer want to be a participant and/or a helpless witness to the violation of the society’s rights to equitable and quality healthcare,” she added.Shidhika did not identify the individuals she believes were responsible for the alleged conduct or provide details of the threats, investigations and institutional pressure to which she referred.Namibian Sun has not independently established the circumstances surrounding these allegations.Specialised cardiac care Shidhika has served as a consultant and head of the paediatric and congenital cardiology department at Windhoek Central Hospital, where she has been involved in providing specialised cardiac care to children.Her qualifications include an MBChB from the University of Cape Town, a certificate in paediatric cardiology, an MPhil in Paediatric Cardiology from the same university and an MSc in Health Economics.She trained in general paediatrics before specialising in paediatric cardiology at the University of Cape Town-affiliated Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital in South Africa.Namibia's first government cardiac unit was established at Windhoek Central Hospital in 2008 through an intergovernmental agreement between Namibia and South Africa, facilitated by the University of Cape Town.Shidhika was among the medical officers involved in the development of the country's cardiac services and subsequently became Namibia's first paediatric cardiologist.Process not finalMinistry spokesperson Walters Kamaya said he was aware of Shidhika's resignation but could not comment further at this stage.Shidhika confirmed that the ministry had not yet accepted her resignation and said it was too early to discuss her next steps.“The resignation has not been accepted yet. I think it's still premature,” she told Namibian Sun.She maintained that her decision was not motivated by exhaustion or a loss of commitment to her patients.“I didn't make this decision because I'm tired or anything like that. I still care about my patients, but it's the circumstances,” she said.Asked to elaborate on those circumstances, Shidhika declined to provide further details.“The reality is there are issues, but I just can't talk about them now,” she said.Shidhika is currently facing a disciplinary process at work, a government official, who was not authorised to speak publicly about the matter and requested anonymity, alleged yesterday. The official declined to provide further details. The ministry did not respond to an official request for comment on the allegation.

Namibia’s first paediatric cardiologist quits, cites threats

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-09

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Namibia’s first paediatric cardiologist quits, cites threats

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-09

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