Patience Makwele
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) director general Paulus Noa says the ACC is still waiting for details from the Ministry of Health and Social Services on the suspected fraud scheme at the Central Medical Stores (CMS).
Last Friday, the health ministry revealed it had uncovered suspected irregularities at CMS, where some staff may have manipulated stock records and diverted medicines.
The ministry’s executive director Penda Ithindi said the discovery prompted the ministry to launch an investigation into possible fraud within the country’s pharmaceutical supply chain.
“The obligation is upon the ministry to provide us with the names of those implicated officials for the purposes of our criminal investigation,” said Noa.
Noa emphasised the importance of evidence and due process in supporting decisions like suspensions.
“You do not just suspend. There must be at least some evidence that reasonably implicates a person. If procedures are not followed, the suspension may backfire. We do not rush into action. We need to gather concrete evidence. If you act prematurely without sufficient evidence, it can also backfire,” he told the Windhoek Observer on Wednesday.
Noa stated that the outcome will depend on the strength of the evidence.
“That is determined by the level of evidence and whether it meets the elements of a criminal offence or remains a disciplinary issue,” he said.
The issue was raised in Parliament earlier this week when Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) member of parliament Longinus Iipumbu questioned why officials suspected of involvement in the disappearance of medicines were being reassigned instead of suspended.
“Why are officials being shifted instead of suspended while medicines continue to disappear and hospitals face shortages?” he asked.
Health minister Esperance Luvindao responded to him [Iipumbu], saying that the ministry is following legal procedures.
“Suspension is not automatic. There are procedures that must be followed,” she said.
Luvindao said the ministry had moved toward suspensions but must first compile enough evidence.
Health expert Nalucha Buchane said the allegations point to weaknesses in oversight.
“When you have allegations of stock manipulation and diversion within a system that sits at the heart of national medicine distribution, it raises serious concerns about how that system is being monitored and safeguarded,” she said.
She told the Windhoek Observer that delays in accountability could affect public trust.
“In a sector as sensitive as healthcare, administrative caution must be balanced with urgency. If accountability is seen to be slow or insufficient, it can undermine public trust and create space for further abuse.”
In September last year, renowned ophthalmologist Helena Ndume called for an investigation to be done at CMS.
At the time, she said inefficiencies and corruption were standing in the way of patients getting essential medicines.
Medicine shortages hit clinics
CMS serves as Namibia’s main warehouse, supplying and distributing medicines and medical supplies to public health facilities across the country.
On the ground, health workers say shortages are affecting patients.
A senior nurse in the Zambezi region who spoke on condition of anonymity explained to the Windhoek Observer that the situation is worsening.
“We are facing a shortage of medicine. It is very disheartening when patients come to us hoping to be helped, but we don’t have what they need,” she said.
She said shortages include family planning contraceptives and HIV-related medication, with pressure increasing during the rainy season.
“People are coming in large numbers, and the medicine we receive is not enough. Some patients have to be referred to private clinics or the hospital in the region, but there is no guarantee they will find medicine there either,” she said.
She said frontline workers are not responsible for the shortages.
“There are no people stealing medicine here. What people don’t understand is that some supplies are distributed within communities for emergency use in remote areas because we have community members assigned to respond to emergency situations where a patient is far from the clinic. The real problem is that the supply we are getting is not enough,” she said.
Another source with experience in clinics said medicine leakage at the community level cannot be ruled out.
“There were cases where people would take family planning injections or other medication and give it to relatives and sometimes even sell it. That also contributes to shortages,” the source said.
The source called for stronger monitoring across facilities.
