By Petronella Sibeene
WINDHOEK
In a bid to solve staff shortages at health facilities in the country, the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Namibia has increased its annual intake of students.
Dean of the faculty, Lischen Hoases-Gorases, told New Era yesterday that the number of students enrolled at the institution increased from 20 in the early years to 120 during the past two years.
She attributes the increase to the needs on the ground. She explained that diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis demand professionals in
different fields of health.
While the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the university offers diplomas and certificates, the dean said the institution is in the process of introducing undergraduate degrees in nursing science and radiography early next year.
The health sector has for years faced severe staff shortages mainly brought about by practitioners leaving for greener pastures.
Because of that, last year, 103 Kenyan nurses arrived in the country to help fill the vacuum.
In the public sector, by last year, there was a deficit of 525 registered nurses and an additional 975 vacant posts for enrolled nurses to be filled.
“We cannot always depend on other nationals, we need to be independent,” said Gorases.
Last year, 125 students graduated in the faculty and Gorases was optimistic that the figure is likely to rise in the near future.
She said that capacity building has increased with more students and lecturers training in the areas of HIV/AIDS prevention, counselling, integrated management of childhood illnesses, integrated management of adults and adolescent illnesses and other critical areas.
She said her faculty works in partnership with international institutions such as the International Training and Education Centre (ITEC), which provides part-time lecturers and equipment.
The faculty has 16 lecturers at its northern campus and 23 in the capital.
Despite efforts to address the problem, the faculty faces a challenge in the area of clinical practice. Gorases says there is a need for clinical instructors who would demonstrate to students the practical aspect of the field on a one-on-one basis or one-to-five scenario. That will ensure that students get adequate attention from lecturers, and quality in transferring knowledge would not be compromised.
Gorases called on the Ministry of Health to assist in training clinical instructors.
The faculty is further in need of laboratories as the ones in use are structures not intended for what they are being used for.
Recently, South Africa requested Namibia to create space for its medical students who usually further their studies in that country. South African universities might not take the usual quota from Namibia in the near future given local demand in that country.
Gorases said the University of Namibia would, in the near future, expand its medical field and start offering courses in pharmacy and physiotherapy, areas that mostly see students going to South Africa.
The Dean assured that Namibia would continue to provide quality training in the health field. She added that the brain drain in the country today bears testimony to the demand for Namibian trained medical practitioners.