Doctor paid N$415 000 while on unauthorised leave

The Ministry of Health and Social Services paid over N$8 million in fixed overtime to 40 staff members who were on full-time study leave, including one medical doctor who collected full benefits while on unauthorised leave.

This was detailed in the latest report on the ministry’s accounts for the financial year ended 31 March 2025, released by auditor general Junias Kandjeke.

Kandjeke issued a qualified audit opinion on the ministry’s financial statements, citing severe governance breakdowns, a lack of internal controls and irregular payroll disbursements.

According to the report, N$ 4.7 million was paid to 24 staff members attached to Katutura Intermediate Hospital who were on full-time study leave, while N$3.2 million was disbursed under similar circumstances to 16 staff members at Windhoek Central Hospital.

“The ministry did not provide any documentation indicating that the employees on full-time study leave had been seconded to perform overtime duties at the institutions where they were studying, nor any evidence demonstrating that overtime hours were rendered,” Kandjeke states in the report.

The audit also exposes a case involving a doctor who went on unauthorised study leave for nearly six months between February and July 2024.

“She was paid fixed doctor overtime during the same period amounting to N$115 756.50 and a monthly salary and other benefits totalling N$298 917.33,” the report adds.

In total, the doctor pocketed N$414 673.83 while absent without authorisation.

The overtime scandal forms part of broader financial mismanagement at the health ministry.

The auditor general highlights that the ministry operates without formalised risk management policies, risk assessment protocols, or fraud prevention measures.

“Without a functioning audit committee, there is a risk that recommendations from internal and external audits may not be implemented,” Kandjeke warns

He adds that the absence of oversight increases the likelihood of undetected fraudulent activities and irregularities.

Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) shadow health minister Lilani Brinkman says the findings were concerning, particularly given the challenges facing the public health system.

“N$8 million is not a minor administrative discrepancy. It is money belonging to the Namibian taxpayer and allocated to a health system that is already struggling to provide medicines, staff and essential services to patients.

“More seriously, the ministry could not provide evidence demonstrating that the overtime hours were actually worked,” she says.

Brinkman adds that “as the IPC, we find this completely unacceptable. The ministry cannot expect Namibians to accept medicine shortages, long waiting times and overstretched hospitals while millions of dollars are being paid out without adequate evidence that the work was performed.”

Brinkman questions who authorised these payments, who verified the hours, and who is accountable for N$8 million leaving the public purse without supporting evidence?

“This is precisely why strong financial controls matter. The auditor general’s report itself also raises concerns about the ministry’s risk-management arrangements and internal oversight.

“The ministry must stop treating auditor general findings as paperwork to be filed away. There must be consequences, recovery of any money found to have been improperly paid, and a clear explanation to parliament and the Namibian public,” she stresses.

She adds that she will be demanding accountability.

“N$8 million could make a tangible difference in our hospitals. It could support medicines, equipment, staffing and patient care. Instead, the auditor general is telling us that the ministry could not demonstrate that these overtime hours were actually worked,” she says.

IPC parliamentarian Lilian Lutuhezi also calls for an investigation into the payments.

“That is deeply concerning. At a time when our public hospitals are struggling with shortages of medicines, equipment and healthcare workers, we cannot afford to have millions of dollars spent without proper accountability.

“Under Sections 16 and 25 of Namibia’s Public Service Act, unauthorised payments may be recovered, and public servants responsible for misconduct may face disciplinary action,” she says.

Lutuhezi adds that they call for an immediate investigation to establish who authorised these payments, whether the employees actually worked the claimed hours and why payments continued during full-time study leave.

“Where payments are found to have been unlawful, the money must be recovered. Those responsible for authorising or receiving improper payments must face appropriate disciplinary action.”

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