The Ministry of Health and Social Services plans to establish at least five new mental health units countrywide by 2037 as part of a decade-long effort to improve access to mental healthcare treatment.
The units will prioritise underserved regions and focus on tangible improvements for people who need care, health minister Esperance Luvindao said on Saturday.
This comes as the country only has two institutions offering mental healthcare – Windhoek Central Hospital and Oshakati Intermediate Hospital.
“The ministry strives to ensure that at least five mental health units are operational nationwide by 31 March 2037,” she said during a World Mental Health Day event in Windhoek.
Chief health programme officer in the ministry Magdalena Didalelwa in August during a school health task force training at Mariental said 123 people with mental illnesses died during the 2024/25 financial year.
This is due to stigma and discrimination, family distress, social ills, and the impact on vulnerable groups. She said 365 people in the Ohangwena region attempted to take their lives between April 2024 and June 2025, while 12 reportedly took their lives between 19 and 30 July this year.
A total of 11 489 were admitted, while 91 544 mental health cases were reported during the same period.
Luvindao said many cases remain undiagnosed due to limited awareness and stigma and limited access to mental health facilities as only two of such are equipped and the country has only six state psychiatrists, of which four are Namibian.
The five units are part of the ministry’s six national commitments to improve mental health services in the country.
Luvindao said the ministry also plans to increase the number of doctors sent for psychiatric specialisation to three annually.
“This would ensure an accessible and adequately staffed workforce capable of meeting nationwide needs and support the implementation of the anticipated Mental Health Act of 2026,” she said.
If the training target is achieved, she said Namibia could have 21 new psychiatrists by the anticipated year.
“We’re not going to fix everything at once. But we’re prioritising what is important,” she said.
The mental health bill, currently before the president for consideration, seeks to prioritise human rights, community care, and rehabilitation.
Luvindao said passing a bill, however, means nothing to those without access to mental healthcare because there are currently only two mental healthcare units.
