Staff Reporter
THE Ministry of Health and Social Services has reaffirmed its commitment to safe, respectful, quality and patient-centred healthcare, with officials stressing the need to strengthen systems, listen to patients and ensure healthcare workers are supported.
The Ministry made the commitment during the commemoration of World Patient Safety Day 2026 at Windhoek Central Hospital, held under the theme “Safe Care for Noncommunicable Diseases”.
The event was officiated by Deputy Executive Director of the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Taimi Amaambo, who emphasised that patient safety is a national responsibility and an essential part of quality healthcare.
Photos: Ministry of Health and Social Services-Namibia
“Patient safety is not simply about avoiding mistakes. It is about ensuring that every person receives safe, effective, timely, equitable, respectful and patient-centred care,” Amaambo said.
She highlighted several measures and guiding documents used by the Ministry to strengthen patient safety, including the Patient Charter, hospital quality standards, standard operating procedures for the management of complaints, clinical and death audit guidelines, and standards for patient and client experience.
Amaambo also pointed to patient experience and satisfaction surveys, as well as the Ministry’s five-year strategic plan for 2025/26 to 2029/30, as important tools guiding patient safety interventions.
She said the Ministry must continue asking whether it is responding to patients’ concerns, conducting audits and acting on their findings, learning from those findings and using real-time data to improve care.
“We need to identify risks before harm is caused. Are we listening to patients and supporting healthcare workers?” she asked.
Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Senorita Polster also stressed the importance of empowering patients to understand their health conditions, treatment and warning signs that require them to seek further care.
“Providing treatment is not enough; we must ensure that patients understand their treatment and condition, and recognise warning signs,” Polster said.
The Ministry said it remains committed to strengthening healthcare systems, supporting healthcare workers, listening to patients and continuously improving the safety and quality of care across the country.
