Erasmus Shalihaxwe
The National Assembly is set to debate a motion on the regulation of the growing number of nursing schools and other health training institutions in the country.
The motion was tabled by Winnie Moongo, a member of parliament from the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) and a trained nurse, on Tuesday. Moongo said new nursing schools continue to emerge every year.
She said Namibia is experiencing a rapid increase in health-related training institutions.
While this may seem like improved access to education, Moongo said the growth reveals deep problems in the system.
She warned that these problems are already affecting hospitals, clinics, and health facilities across the country.
Moongo said individuals with commercial interests are registering training institutions as businesses through the ministry of trade and industry.
She claims that these institutions often receive business licences without proper checks on the quality or impact of their services.
“Subsequently, these entities approach the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) for Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), which grant their students access to already overburdened public health facilities for clinical practice,” she said.
She added that the overwhelming traffic in healthcare facilities places a burden on the system and compromises patient privacy at times.
“There is no health system that can be allowed to be sacrificed at the altar of commercial gain. Nor can we, as a House, continue to tolerate institutional silos that prevent the effective governance of healthcare education,” cautioned Moongo.
She said the lack of coordination allows for the unchecked commercialisation of the nursing profession.
She noted that the Health Professions Councils of Namibia (HPCNA) is being sidelined.
“Its mandate to protect the public and uphold the quality of training is being undermined by the absence of a unified national framework for the regulation of health training institutions. The impact of this disjointed system is both immediate and long-term. Our public hospitals are now overcrowded not only with patients but with nursing students from multiple institutions, many of whom are inadequately supervised or supported in their clinical learning,” she said.
Strained Mentorship
She argued that professional nurses are overwhelmed, expected to mentor dozens of students in settings not designed for such high volumes.
“The result is a ticking time bomb of underprepared graduates, some of whom may enter the workforce without having mastered the essential and basic competencies of nursing practice. Even more troubling is the quality of teaching in many of these institutions.”
Concerns over the rapid rise in nursing schools are not new. In 2023, Zambezi region’s acting health director, Richard Likokoto, warned that the unchecked growth of health training institutions in response to national health challenges could lead to disastrous outcomes.
He noted a growing trend towards new health training centres opening in the region.
Moongo’s motion comes after, in October last year, HPCN moved to reduce the number of nursing student intakes due to an oversupply of midwifery training institutions.
The council stated that the number of students had exceeded the capacities of approved hospitals and training facilities.
The directive excluded newly approved campuses that had not yet started training.
It also introduced the requirement that, starting January 2025, all locally trained nursing and midwifery graduates must pass an HPCN evaluation before they can register or enrol as practitioners.
However, the decision sparked criticism.
A month ago, The Windhoek Observer reported that nursing graduates were raising concerns about the high cost of the evaluation exams.
Many said the fee of over N$2,000 was an unfair barrier to employment.
Former lawmaker Hidipo Hamata also condemned the charges, calling them unjust and harmful to the country’s health system.
In her motion tabling, Moongo said she has reliable information that some institutions employ underqualified tutors, including people with only diploma-level qualifications.
She said this undermines the quality of nursing education.
She also raised concerns about low academic admission standards.
“Today, institutions are willing to accept students who have not met the basic academic requirements, some with Grade 10 or 11 results, so long as they can afford to pay tuition. This is a very dangerous precedent that we are setting, colleagues. When the health of our citizens rests in the hands of poorly trained practitioners, the consequences are not just professional; they are more likely than not fatal,” warned Moongo.
Another PDM parliamentarian Rosa Mbinge-Tjeundo also support Moongo’s motion.
She said the expansion has not been matched by a proportionate strengthening of regulatory oversight or consistent enforcement of standards by health regulatory authorities.
Data from 2024 shows that 4,655 students are enrolled across the seven institutions registered with the council.
