Swakopmund: The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has stressed the importance of integrity and ethics training for medical officers, highlighting it as a critical step in combating corruption within the healthcare sector.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Head of Public Education and Corruption Prevention in the Erongo Region, the training sessions were held recently for officials of the Ministry of Health and Social Services in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. These workshops are designed to equip healthcare workers with the tools needed to maintain ethical standards, prevent corruption, and ensure the delivery of quality healthcare services. Amoonga emphasized that unethical practices such as bribery, theft of medical supplies, and inappropriate disclosure of patient information not only undermine patient care but also deteriorate public trust in healthcare institutions.

“We are educating medical officers who handle ethical matters to ensure they perform their duties with integrity and build ethical institution
s. This training is part of our mandate to prevent unethical activities, such as bribery, and to provide quality healthcare services to patients,” said Amoonga. He expressed concern over the temptations healthcare professionals might face, such as accepting bribes for preferential treatment, which disadvantages those unable to pay, and the mismanagement of medicines, which are sometimes diverted for personal use.

Amoonga also addressed the issue of disappearing medical supplies from hospitals, aiming to prevent this by promoting integrity and accountability among health workers. “There is a perception that medical supplies disappear from hospitals, and we aim to prevent this by promoting integrity and accountability among health workers. We want healthcare providers to be transparent in their operations and deliver services fairly and ethically,” he added.

While acknowledging that some institutions are lagging behind, Amoonga praised entities like the Namibia Revenue Agency and the Namibian Police for their
proactive approach to ethics training, incorporating it into their employee induction programs. The ACC’s ongoing initiatives to educate public servants and health professionals on ethics and integrity form part of the broader national strategy to combat corruption and foster a more accountable and transparent society.