The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) has decided to stop using procuring entities and will be sourcing medication directly from suppliers.
This move is expected to have a positive impact on Namibia's health sector, reducing, according to the ministry, unnecessary costs and further increasing efficiency.
Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr. Esperance Luvindao, stated that the Ministry has been successful in engaging directly with suppliers over the past few weeks.
She said, although they do not have an issue with procurers, they have a tendency to overinflate prices, ultimately having a negative financial impact on the health sector.
"I don't have a problem with middlemen. But if you overinflate prices to a point where something that costs $100 million, you are charging us $500 million. This is not an example. Yeah, it's not an example. So if something costs $100 million, you're charging us $500 million, or you're charging us $400 million. There's something inherently wrong. You're robbing the system. You're robbing the government."
Dr. Luvindao also announced that the Universal Health Coverage Bill will be finalised soon.
She said this will enable the health ministry to put precautionary measures in place in case of another pandemic or to tackle any major health issues that affect the public more efficiently.
This will not only improve public health but also promote equity and social justice.
"We focused a lot, over the past few months, on legislation. That's critical. The Universal Health Coverage Bill is soon to be finalised. However, we understand that legislation is not on its own good enough, and we need systems in place, robust systems and institutions in place. We need to build proactive systems. And I've said this to the team time and time again, and I've said, "Well, I think one of the major issues that I've encountered since taking office is the issue of reactivity." Because we've built a system that is very reactive."
The minister stressed that if finalised, this will require strong leadership, good governance, accountability and a well-trained and motivated health workforce.