Also known as: Luvindao · Minister of health and social services · health and social services minister · health minister Luvindao · minister Luvindao · Dr. Luvindao · Dr Luvindao · Health and Social Services Minister Esperance Luvindao · Hon. Dr. Luvindao · health minister · Hon Dr Luvindao · health minister Esperance Luvindao · Dr Esperance Luvindao · Dr. Esperance Luvindao · Dr Esperence Luvindao · The Minister of Health and Social Services · the Minister of Health · Minister of Health and Social Services Dr Esperance Luvindao · Health minister Dr Esperance Luvindao · the health minister
Minister of Health and Social Services overseeing health system strengthening, disease prevention, and maternal-child health improvements across Namibia.
Health and social services minister Esperance Luvindao says an estimated 34% of tuberculosis cases in Namibia go undetected, leaving infected people undiagnosed and outside the treatment system. The government notified 8,370 TB patients last year and achieved an 87% treatment success rate, but faces particular challenges in remote areas like Omaheke region, which it is addressing through active case finding and new national management guidelines.
Health and social services minister Esperance Luvindao says an estimated 34% of tuberculosis cases in Namibia go undetected, leaving infected people undiagnosed and outside the treatment system. The government notified 8,370 TB patients last year and achieved an 87% treatment success rate, but faces particular challenges in remote areas like Omaheke region, which it is addressing through active case finding and new national management guidelines.
Namibia's digital healthcare transformation, including its e-Birth and e-Death notification systems introduced since 2017, is being showcased as a model for other African countries during an Africa CDC learning visit in Windhoek. The systems, which now connect 153 health facilities and have achieved over 99% birth registration coverage, represent the government's commitment to modernizing healthcare delivery and civil registration through technology.
At least 91 parliamentarians have submitted asset and interest declarations as required under parliamentary standing rules, with MPs disclosing shareholdings in telecommunications, banking, and brewing companies, as well as residential and commercial properties across Namibia. Failure to comply with annual declaration requirements constitutes a breach of parliamentary rules and may result in referral to the Committee of Privileges for disciplinary measures including fines or formal reprimands.
On World Tuberculosis Day 2026, Health Minister Dr Esperance Luvindao reported that Omaheke Region has the highest TB case notification rate in Namibia, with many communities on remote farms and settlements facing difficulty accessing treatment. While Namibia achieved an 87% TB treatment success rate in 2024 and made progress on TB/HIV co-infection, the ministry estimates it missed 34% of total TB cases nationally, proportionally higher in Omaheke.
The government is moving to digitise birth and death registration systems to improve service delivery and coordination between health and civil registration sectors. Health and social services minister Esperance Luvindao said the shift addresses long-standing gaps where births registered in health facilities were not legally recognized for months or years, and forms part of a broader national digital health policy (2026-2036).
The Health Minister has granted Namibian health professionals a temporary extension under the Health Professions Act, allowing registered practitioners to continue practising without a new licence until 31 March 2027 on a "deemed licensed" basis, provided they apply for the required licence before that date. The extension follows concerns raised by the Namibia Medical Society that the operational framework for the licensing system was not finalised in time for the original 20 March 2024 deadline.
Keetmanshoop District Hospital has inaugurated a state-of-the-art dialysis facility funded by the Social Security Commission, reducing the need for patients to travel to Windhoek for renal care. Health Minister Luvindao said the centre marks a milestone in advancing accessible healthcare and is part of plans to establish a national kidney transplant service.
The Tukwathela Maternal Waiting Shelter is now fully operational under Ministry of Health and Social Services management, after remaining locked and unused for nearly four years despite being fully equipped. The facility provides accommodation for pregnant women near healthcare facilities to ensure timely access to medical services.
Affirmative Repositioning MP Esther Haikola-Sakaria has raised concerns about growing hepatitis B infections among young Namibians, noting that the virus is up to 100 times more infectious than HIV-AIDS but receives far less public awareness and prevention attention from the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
The government has inaugurated a N$7.3-million dialysis unit at Keetmanshoop District Hospital and plans to upgrade it to an intermediate facility, reducing the need for patients to travel long distances for treatment. The upgrade is part of a N$16-billion national health systems strengthening programme, with over N$100 million already invested in ||Kharas region health infrastructure since 2023.