….Nandi-Ndaitwah warns greedy middlemen
STAFF WRITER
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has slammed middlemen for ripping off the government through inflated medicine prices, warning that their days of milking the system are over.
Speaking on Saturday at the Swapo rally held at Walvis Bay, Nandi-Ndaitwah said her administration will not tolerate overpricing.
“Since we came into office, we have cut out the middlemen in the procurement of medical and clinical supplies. We are now buying directly from suppliers and that move has already saved us N$221 million,” she said.
The President said the savings will be pumped back into the health sector to improve services for ordinary Namibians.
She didn’t mince her words about profiteering.
“You can’t sell a Panado that costs N$10 for N$60. That’s daylight robbery of the nation.”
Her warning comes as the Ministry of Health pushes a major shake-up in the way Namibia buys its medicine, cutting out local intermediaries and buying straight from international manufacturers.
Last month Minister of Health and Social Services Esperance Luvindao said the reform will slash costs and end chronic shortages in hospitals.
But local pharmaceutical companies are furious. They accuse the ministry of freezing tenders, shutting out Namibian firms, and putting thousands of jobs at risk. Some warn hospitals could start running out of vital medicines as early as this month.
“This new administration is killing local businesses. Ask the ministry how many purchase orders were given out in the last four months. It’s Zero” one supplier told Namibia Business Review.
The ministry has dismissed the outcry, saying tenders are still being processed by the Central Procurement Board and that supply continues under legal exemptions. Last month health ministry Executive Director Penda Ithindi has rejected accusations of a tender freeze, dismissing them as “utter fabrication” driven by businesses desperate to protect their old monopolies.
Behind the scenes, insiders say the reforms are part of a clean-up meant to stop price inflation and corruption. The Anti-Corruption Commission is also probing a suspected web of graft involving tenders, suppliers, and senior officials.
Still, not everyone in the ruling party is cheering.
Swapo Youth League central committee member Taddeus Shithigona said reforms should not destroy black-owned local businesses.
“Cutting middlemen is necessary but not at the expense of empowerment and inclusion,” he said last month.
The Namibia Local Business Association has also warned that cutting out middlemen could cost jobs.
Investigative journalist John Grobler was less sympathetic.
“The tenderpreneur mafia will be upset as their overpriced contracts get cancelled. Dr Luvindao should watch her back. Someone might get desperate enough to do something stupid.”
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