- Health ranks fourth among the most important problems that Namibians want their government to address.
- o The proportion of citizens who see it as a priority problem has doubled since 2017, from 11% to 22%.
- More than two-thirds (69%) of citizens report that they or a family member went without needed medicine or medical care at least once during the previous year. The proportion who say this happened “many times” or “always” has risen from 3% to 20% since 2014.
- Among the 60% of respondents who had contact with a public clinic or hospital during the year preceding the survey:
- o Four in 10 (40%) say it was difficult to obtain the services they needed, an increase of 15 percentage points since 2014.
- o About one in six (15%) say they had to pay a bribe, give a gift, or do a favour to obtain the services they needed.
- o And vast majorities say they encountered long wait times (90%), shortages of medicines or medical supplies (83%), absent medical staff (79%), and facilities in poor condition (77%).
- Health insurance remains limited: Only 15% of Namibians say they have medical-aid coverage.
- o Most citizens who lack health insurance (74%) cite its unaffordability as the primary reason.
- An overwhelming majority (88%) of citizens say they worry at least “a little” about being unable to obtain or afford medical care if they or their family members become sick, including 55% who say they worry “a lot.”
- Almost two-thirds (64%) of respondents “agree” or “strongly agree” that the government should ensure universal access to health care, even if it means raising taxes.
- More than half (58%) of Namibians disapprove of their government’s performance on improving basic health services, a proportion that has more than tripled over the past two decades.
- o Nonetheless, two-thirds (65%) of citizens say they trust the MHSS.
Namibia’s health system comprises a public sector, managed by the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MHSS), and a private sector. Public health services are organised within a three-tier structure at the national, regional, and district levels. An estimated 85% of the population rely on public health and social services provided through hospitals, clinics, and other facilities managed by the ministry (GIZ, 2023).
In terms of health insurance, the government primarily finances the Public Service Medical Aid Scheme (PSEMAS) for civil servants and their beneficiaries. The scheme covers 12% of the country’s population, while estimates suggest that 8% of Namibians are covered by private medical insurance. Analysts have raised concerns about equity in health financing, noting that PSEMAS accounts for 28.9% of total government health expenditure while covering only one-eighth of the population (UNICEF, 2023). These concerns are compounded by financial losses linked to fraud, abuse, and ghost beneficiaries, which call the scheme’s governance and sustainability into question (GIZ, 2023).
The Namibian government continues to make substantial investments in the public health system. In the 2025/2026 budget, the health sector received N$12.3 billion, representing 4.4% of gross domestic product and 11.5% of the national budget, an increase of 8.2% from the previous financial year (Ministry of Health and Social Services, 2025). This allocation increased further to N$13.1 billion for the 2026/2027 financial year, including N$259 million for the recruitment of additional health professionals (Ministry of Finance, 2026; Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia, 2026).
Despite increased spending, the government admits that health infrastructure has not kept pace with population growth. While Namibia’s population more than doubled from 1.4 million in 1991 to 3.02 million in 2023, the number of public health facilities barely increased, placing growing pressure on service delivery. Although the country exceeds the World Health Organization benchmark of 2.5 health workers per 1,000 population, shortages of specialised personnel persist, with only one doctor per 2,952 people, contributing to long queues at public facilities (Haipinge, 2025).
At the same time, the withdrawal of U.S. assistance to Namibia’s HIV/AIDS response after the 2027 fiscal year has introduced additional uncertainty for Namibia’s health system (Smith, 2026, Cullinan, 2026). After more than two decades of U.S. support totalling about U.S. $1.1 billion, the country’s HIV/AIDS programme will have to compete with other essential health services for domestic funding.
Against this backdrop, how do Namibians perceive their health-care system and the government’s efforts to improve health-care services? This dispatch presents findings from a special Afrobarometer Round 10 (2024) survey module focusing on health care.
Findings show that health ranks high among problems that Namibians want their government to address. A growing majority say that they or a family member went without needed medical care or medicines at least once during the previous year.
Many who seek services at public health facilities say they encounter difficulties in obtaining medical care, while overwhelming majorities report long wait times, shortages of medicines and medical supplies, absenteeism among health workers, and poor facility conditions.
More than eight in 10 citizens do not have medical-aid coverage, largely because they cannot afford it, and most say they worry about their ability to obtain or pay for medical care if they or family members become ill. There is strong public support for tax-financed health care for all, even if achieving it requires higher taxes.
While two-thirds of Namibians say they trust the MHSS, a growing majority are dissatisfied with the government’s performance on improving basic health services.
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