Ministry of Health and Social Services

Auditor General not taken seriously
09 Jul

Auditor General not taken seriously

ObserverOpinions, , , ,
Accounting officers at government ministries, including State House are failing to implement recommendations and advice by the Auditor General in his audit reports. This is becoming a cause for concern as the same recommendation and observations are made by the Auditor General over some years. While the Auditor General is doing commendable work in thoroughly auditing the finances of government, it goes to waste if his recommendations are simply ignored. In three financial reports tabled by the Auditor General in the National Assembly recently, the AG repeatedly express concern over recommendation that were made in previous reports not implemented. The…
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Health ministry makes double payments to suppliers
02 Jul

Health ministry makes double payments to suppliers

ObserverNational News, , , ,
Staff Writer Auditor general, Junias Kandjeke, found that the Ministry of Health and Social Services has made payments to suppliers amounting to N$155 533.28 during the 2020/21 financial year. According to a report compiled by the Office of the Auditor General on double payments made 24 duplicate payments to different suppliers during the year under review. “The Accounting Officer indicated that double payments were as a result of multiple supplier codes allocated to individual suppliers. Nevertheless, the Ministry has started to engage the Ministry of Finance to clean up the system on double supplier accounts on the data base,” read…
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Ministry of Health spends N$3m on COVID-19 drug …as WHO cast doubt over its effectiveness
18 Nov

Ministry of Health spends N$3m on COVID-19 drug …as WHO cast doubt over its effectiveness

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Andrew Kathindi The Ministry of Health and Social Services has spent N$3 million on procuring Remdesivir, the experimental drug used as a last ditch treatment for COVID-19 patients in extreme conditions. Although the ministry has announced that it will be halting further purchases stating that they have enough stock, Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula however, said the government would still purchase the drug should the need arise. “COVID-19 has not gone away, patients still need the medication,” he told Windhoek Observer. The minister’s position comes as a World Health Organization (WHO) study recently cast doubt on the effectiveness of the drug.…
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Government flirts with legalising cannabis…as PM’s office chairs taskforce
14 Nov

Government flirts with legalising cannabis…as PM’s office chairs taskforce

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Andrew Kathindi The Ministry of Health and Social Services has begun consultations on the regulation and controlled use of cannabis, in anticipation of its possible legalization. This comes as according to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) 33 countries in the world have permitted the cultivation of cannabis for medical and research purposes. Some of these countries are in SADC region. In addition, some countries have decriminalized its use. Health Ministry Executive Director Ben Nangombe said the Ministry had engaged several governmental agencies a few months ago on the matter. He hinted that it could be time for Namibia to…
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Baby Shiloh family yet to receive answers from Health Ministry
06 Nov

Baby Shiloh family yet to receive answers from Health Ministry

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Andrew Kathindi Over three months after the death of Shiloh-Dean Ponhele, the Ministry of Health and Social Services is yet to confirm to the parents, Lavinia Kanyumbo and Damson Kosmas what transpired. A legal case will be pending. This comes as the Kanyumbo and Kosmas still maintain that their son did not die from COVID-19 but rather negligence. Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula stated in August that an investigation had been launched to explain what happened. The Health Ministry recorded Shiloh's death as a COVID-19-related death in August, the youngest in the country, however, the mother of the baby, Kanyumbo insisted…
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Namibia records spike in suicide cases
11 Sep

Namibia records spike in suicide cases

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Helena Johannes According to the Ministry of Health and Social Services, suicide cases in Namibia have spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Although the current statistic of people who have committed suicide this year is unknown, the ministry says suicide cases reported this far during the pandemic is worrisome significant numbers of people are choosing to end their lives due to different unbearable situations. According to Ministry of Health Social Worker Jenifer Lifasi, cases of minors committing suicide in the country are on the rise, with Namibia ranked 11th in the world for these tragic cases according to an international…
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‘Complicated’ COVID-19 guidelines boots recoveries
05 Aug

‘Complicated’ COVID-19 guidelines boots recoveries

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Andrew Kathindi The recently introduced new de-isolation policy by the Ministry of Health and Social Services policy has boosted the country’s recovery figures, with a record 345 new COVID-19 recoveries having been recorded in one day as announced on Wednesday. According to the new de-isolation guidelines, which are in line with international recommendations from World Health Organization (WHO) and Center for Disease Control (CDC), state once a patient has been infected with COVID-19 for ten days and their symptoms have resolved, there is no risk that the virus can still be spread to other people. As a result, people who…
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Full taxi loads illegal – Ministry
07 Jul

Full taxi loads illegal – Ministry

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Andrew Kathindi The Ministry of Works and Transport maintains the carrying of a full load of passengers by taxis remains illegal as per Stage 4 regulations of the State of Emergency in the combat of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Namibia Transport and Taxi Union (NTTU) has given the government a 72-hour ultimatum to consult them on the way forward regarding the loading of taxis, demanding that its members revert to full loads of four passengers. “What we are doing, is we’re not working in response to the taxi union. We are working in addressing the plight of the nation, passing…
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Old Mutual donates Covid19 equipment
30 Jun

Old Mutual donates Covid19 equipment

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Andrew Kathindi As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the country at an alarming rate, last week, Old Mutual handed over devices to the Ministry of Health and Social Services worth over N$900 000. In a bid to continue supporting the fight against COVID-19, Old Mutual donated 35 Dell laptops and 37 Samsung tablets procured at a total cost of N$ 998 030.46 to capacitate the Ministry’s surveillance system capability based on the identified and prioritised needs at national, regional and district level during and after COVID-19. “These laptops are each installed with Office Home software, Antivirus, a mouse and…
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Namibia faces drinking crisis
12 Jun

Namibia faces drinking crisis

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Andrew Kathindi According to the Ministry of Health and Social Services, 44 percent of Namibian children start drinking alcohol from as early as nine years old. This according to Deputy Program Manager for Substance Abuse Prevention, Drug Control and Rehabilition in the ministry, Geraldine Kanyinga, who raised the alarm on the state of alcohol addiction in Namibia. “We have done a research and the findings show that 44 percent of Namibian children are already drinking from as early as nine years. So for us it is scary that alcohol has become a norm in society. We have to take shebeens…
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