Health ministry halts recruitment of new staff

The Ministry of Health and Social Services has halted the recruitment of new staff. This leaves unemployed qualified nurses waiting for further employment opportunities until the next financial year, which begins in April 2027. This was announced in a statement by the ministry’s executive director, Penda Ithindi, who says the decision follows the government’s limited financial position and adverse external economic developments affecting domestic revenue. “Taking into account the expressed fiscal position of the country as a result of adverse external economic developments, which has a negative effect on domestic revenue, the Ministry of Health and Social Services wishes to reiterate that new staff recruitment is now halted,” Ithindi says. The ministry says N$259 million was allocated for the recruitment of health workers, including nurses, in the 2026/27 financial year.

Of this amount, N$241 million, inclusive of recruitment costs for positions that became vacant during the year, had been used. By the end of September, about 1 770 health personnel had been recruited, including approximately 1 320 nurses. The ministry says it had received guidance through the Ministry of Finance that the remaining recruitment would only resume in the next financial year, beginning in April 2027. However, recruitment to fill positions that become vacant through retirement and other natural attrition will continue to be advertised and filled. The announcement comes as the ministry responds to a collective petition concerning the unemployment of qualified enrolled nurses and the current recruitment process in Namibia. The ministry says it recognises that nurses are critical to healthcare delivery, providing frontline services, basic care and clinical support. During the 2025/26 mid-year…