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.
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"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 budget review, the ministry received N$185 million, which it used to recruit 814 additional staff between December 2025 and March 2026.
These included 449 nurses, 134 medical officers and dentists, 103 allied health professionals and 107 administrative support staff.
According to the ministry, the recruited personnel were deployed to health facilities across the country, helping to ease pressure on services.
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Ithindi says the recruitment enabled the introduction of 24-hour services at several clinics in the Khomas region, which the ministry saya further reduced long patient waiting times.
The ministry has addressed concerns around recruitment requirements.
"The tests administered by the Health Professional Council of Namibia are to ensure that qualifying nurses have demonstrated the capacity to execute their expected functions as this relates to safe-saving services which the nurses provide to the public," the statement reads.
