Union warns private nursing college oversupply stalls jobs
The Namibia Nurses Union has warned the parliament that an oversupply of private college graduates is causing rising unemployment of nurses and compromising clinical training quality. Union secretary general Junias Shilunga raised this concern during a stakeholder consultative workshop convened by the parliamentary committee on education, youth, civic relations and community development last week. Addressing […] The post Union warns private nursing college oversupply stalls jobs appeared first on The Namibian.
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The Namibia Nurses Union has warned the parliament that an oversupply of private college graduates is causing rising unemployment of nurses and compromising clinical training quality.
Union secretary general Junias Shilunga raised this concern during a stakeholder consultative workshop convened by the parliamentary committee on education, youth, civic relations and community development last week.
Addressing the committee, he said private nursing institutions have increased their student intake despite limited employment opportunities in the health sector.
“Many private nursing institutions admit a large number of students, with some conducting two intakes per year,” Shilunga said.
He said this has created a situation where the number of graduates entering the job market continues to grow while employment opportunities remain limited.
“This has contributed to an oversupply of nursing graduates, while employment opportunities within the health sector have not expanded at the same pace, leading to increasing unemployment among qualified nurses,” he said.
The union said the mushrooming of private nursing colleges followed the discontinuation of nursing training by the Ministry of Health and Social Services through National Health Training Centres in 2017.
While the union acknowledged that private institutions have improved access to nursing education, it warned that the increasing number of colleges has created challenges for workforce planning and training quality.
Shilunga told the committee the number of nursing training institutions continues to rise while healthcare facilities remain limited.
“This has resulted in the overcrowding of student nurses within clinical settings, compromising patient privacy, dignity, infection prevention and control measures, and the overall quality of clinical learning,” he said.
The union also raised concerns about the quality of training on offer.
“Many student nurses graduate with insufficient practical exposure, clinical competence, and hands-on experience,” he said.
The union further told the parliament that some institutions operate with limited lecturers and clinical instructors, affecting the supervision and mentoring of students during training.
To address the challenges, the union recommended that nursing institutions be restricted to one intake per year and that the government introduce a coordinated national intake system.
Nanu also called for the revival of the National Health Training Centres to strengthen government involvement in nursing education and workforce planning. It proposed stronger inspections of training institutions, the harmonisation of nursing curricula and the introduction of a centralised registration and coordination system.
“Nanu remains committed to supporting the development of a competent, ethical, and highly skilled nursing workforce,” Shilunga said. He urged the parliament, regulators, training institutions and the government to take action to address the challenges facing nursing education and employment in Namibia. The union said stronger regulation and better workforce planning are needed to protect the nursing profession and ensure sustainable healthcare services in the country.
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