Shape up or ship out
President Hage Geingob didn’t mince words when he addressed his cabinet for the last time this year. The head of state highlighted a number of concerns that have also been widely reported in the mainstream media, including the standoff between health minister Bernard Haufiku and the accounting officer at the ministry, Andreas Mwoombola. The president was so irked, to a point that he even suggested that one of the officials must be moved because he cannot allow a personality clash between the health minister and his permanent secretary to compromise services at State hospitals. Geingob, according to media reports, was further left fuming and angry at the minister of works and transport Alpheus !Naruseb for seemingly allowing himself to be bullied by Namibia Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) after the company reportedly threatened the Namibia Airports Company with the closures of the Ondangwa and Hosea Kutako International airports. NCAA boss Angelina Simana reportedly gave an ultimatum to the NAC by threatening to suspend the parastatal’s operator licence if upgrades worth hundreds of millions did not proceed. Obviously the two cases cited are not related in any way, but it can also boil down to failure to provide clear direction. The personality clash at the ministry of health is nothing new. It has been widely reported on and has been confirmed by the prime minister publicly. However, the authorities have allowed the situation to spiral out of control to a point of threatening to bring service delivery in the sector to a halt. We respect that there are legal processes to be followed, and this may take time. However, officials must always sing the same tune and work together in the interest of the nation in spite of their disagreement. At this point in time we are no longer interested in accusations and counter-accusations as to who should take responsibility for the dwindling fortunes in the health sector. Much of the damage has been done and if the administration cannot focus on delivering services to the people, then we are literally screwed. Our health sector is already beset by a potpourri of challenges and we can ill-afford its imminent collapse. Those destroying the team spirit at the ministry should pack their bags and go.
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