Health ministry waits for police on doctors’ fraud

The Ministry of Health and Social Services will not take action against doctors and nurses accused of fraud, corruption and collusion with insurance companies until police investigations are completed.

Four nurses, an intern doctor, as well as a doctor from Onandjokwe State Hospital in the Oshikoto region, are accused of defrauding Sanlam of about N$1.9 million.

They were part of a group of 12 people who were arrested in connection with the alleged scheme a month ago.

Health ministry spokesperson Walters Kamaya told The Namibian three weeks ago that the ministry will not decide against the accused until the police investigations are completed.

“When the matter is in the hands of the police, it becomes a subject of police investigations.

You cannot take any other action … in the interim, you cannot institute anything until the investigation is completed,” he said.

According to section 42 (1) of the Medical and Dental Act of 2004, any registered doctor who, after a formal inquiry or admission, is found guilty of unprofessional conduct may face penalties.

These include a reprimand, suspension from practice, removal from the register, or a fine.

Medical doctor Fillemon Nakanduungile, a former Onandjokwe State Hospital employee, is also linked to the fraud.

The police say Nakanduungile, who is accused of being a participant in the attack on the late Ondangwa control prosecutor Justine Shiweda, was a doctor at the hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic.

His co-accused, Petrus Shikwaya and Abner Mateus, are also implicated in the fraud case.
The accused are charged with counts of fraud, forgery and contravention of the Anti-Corruption Act.

The arrests of the hospital staff are linked to an alleged scheme involving N$1.9 million fraudulently claimed from Sanlam between 2020 and 2024.

It is alleged that the hospital staff helped members of the public to claim money from the insurance company using fake documents.

Further allegations suggest that insurance policies were registered in the names of individuals who are still alive.

Once the policies matured, beneficiaries allegedly proceeded to claim payouts as though the insured persons were deceased.

In a brief interview with The Namibian last week, Oshikoto governor Sacky Kathindi said the allegations against the arrested health workers were troubling and could undermine public confidence in the healthcare system if proven true.

“As a leader, I am concerned. Some of the accused are young people.

This is a matter of serious concern, especially when it involves professionals entrusted with the health and well-being of the nation,” he said.

“It is really worrisome when things of this nature are happening, particularly when those trusted with responsibilities, especially at a younger age, are expected to grow into specialists in the medical field. This is a concern,” he added.

While acknowledging that the suspects are not guilty until proven guilty by the courts, Kathindi said corruption should be treated as treason and noted that the arrests should serve as a warning to others who may consider engaging in fraudulent activities.

Oshana police commissioner Naftal Sakaria declined to comment on allegations that doctors and healthcare workers are involved in a scheme using unclaimed bodies from the morgue.

Public prosecutor Yeukai Kangira told the Ondangwa Magistrate’s Court that the accused allegedly claimed money from the insurance company under the pretence that they had been diagnosed with certain medical conditions or had been hospitalised.

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