WINDHOEK – Following weeks of uncertainty over who will fund sixth-year medical students at the University of Namibia (Unam), government – through a Cabinet decision – has agreed to pay their tuition and accommodation fees after the Medical and Dental Council of Namibia refused to register them as medical interns.
Namibia’s first medical school was last month marred in controversy over a shorter academic term for its medical students, with the health council refusing to register the fifth-year medical students, as the country’s first locally educated medical interns.
The health council says the medical students still have a year of university studies, to make up for six years of medical studies prescribed by the Namibian Medical and Dental Profession Act, before being registered as medical interns.
Unam and the health council have been bickering over who is at fault for the confusion that recently made news headlines.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Andrew Ndishishi confirmed government’s decision to pay for the beleaguered students.
“It’s true, it was a Cabinet decision. The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education have agreed to jointly fund the students for both their tuition and accommodation fees,” Ndishishi said.
When contacted for comment, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Alfred Ilukena, said he has not seen the Cabinet action matter since he is in Oshakati on official duty. “I have not seen the Cabinet action matter, however, if that action has been taken by Cabinet, then the ministry of education has no choice but to find resources to make sure that the decision is implemented successfully,” Ilukena noted.
Reliable sources, however, have said N$47 million has been set aside to fund all the sixth-year medical students, but both ministries denied this saying no amount has been set aside yet.
At the time, students demanded that Unam foot the bill for both their accommodation and tuition fees, which is in the range of N$60 000 per student per annum.
The Ombudsman and other stakeholders intervened, leading to the Cabinet decision to fund the student for their sixth year.
Out of the 45 students who registered with Unam’s School of Medicine when it opened its doors in 2009, only 35 passed the fifth year in 2014 and Unam wanted them to be the first batch to graduate as medical interns at the next congregation.
Earlier, Unam said it is “in the process of implementing, among others, the [health council’s] recommendation that the Bachelor of Medicine programme be extended over a six-year period”. However, Unam added, “It has been the position of Unam that our pioneering medical students deserve special consideration given the fact that they underwent a two-year pre-medical training programme.”