Health ministry to scrap middlemen in hospital laundry services

Health minister Esperance Luvindao says government will stop outsourcing hospital laundry services to private middlemen after a cost-benefit report revealed it is cheaper and more sustainable to do the work in-house.Responding to a parliamentary question from lawmaker Job Amupanda on Monday, Luvindao admitted that her ministry has been spending unnecessarily on contractors.“We actually recently got the report back last week from my executive, and it clearly states that doing it in-house is cheaper. Therefore, that is the planned way forward,” she said.The minister did not disclose when the analysis was initiated, how much the ministry has been spending on laundry done by private companies, or when the current outsourcing contracts will be terminated.She also stressed that the problem is not confined to Windhoek.“I must highlight that it is not only in Windhoek that we have this issue. We went to quite a few regions recently, and it is not just about outsourcing – oftentimes, the machines are a problem," she noted. "They are either not working or malfunctioning. That is why we needed a thorough analysis. We hear you, we agree with you, and the way forward is to do it in-house,” the minister added.State of thingsAmupanda lambasted current laundry arrangements at hospitals, describing them as wasteful and symptomatic of the government’s poor prioritisation.He claimed that while Katutura Hospital employs 12 staff members for laundry services, the washing and drying machines there have allegedly been left to deteriorate while a middleman cashes in.“For some reason, the machine at Katutura Hospital has been left dysfunctional. A middleman was given that golden opportunity, while the 12 employees just wait around to collect and deliver blankets to this company," he said. "Yet, a few metres away at Central Hospital, there is a functioning machine that could be used,” Amupanda noted. “Why did the ministry make such an arrangement with a middleman for Katutura Intermediate Hospital when laundry could be done at Central Hospital? Who is this middleman company, and what is the value of this tender when the government has similar machines just 500 metres away?” Amupanda asked.Namibian Sun's quick check with Katutura Intermediate Hospital yesterday revealed that the laundry machines are in a functioning condition, raising questions about the justification for outsourcing and the extent to which equipment has been sidelined.Recent visitsLuvindao conceded Amupanda’s concerns, explaining that during recent visits by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare, Vice President Lucia Witbooi, herself and the works minister Veikko Nekundi, the issue was flagged as a national problem requiring urgent intervention.“This has been a longstanding issue," she said."We did not want to make rash decisions. That is why we went for a cost-benefit analysis, and the results are clear. The cheaper and more sustainable solution is to do the services in-house, and that is the direction we are taking,” she said.nikanor@nmh-hub.com.na

Health ministry to scrap middlemen in hospital laundry services

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Namibian Sun 2026-01-29

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Health ministry to scrap middlemen in hospital laundry services

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Namibian Sun 2026-01-29

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