State lawyers losing millions in medical cases

Accused of sharing settlement payouts with senior officials

• Chief medical officer demands 10 years’ payout records • Govt spent N$14.7m on medical claims between 2019 and 2024 • About N$5.5m spent over past year

Health minister Esperance Luvindao has raised concerns over delays in a nationwide medico-legal training programme as allegations of malpractice and costly compensation claims pile up.

In an email to executive director of health and social services Penda Ithindi on 3 June Luvindao said she had asked for chief medical officer of legal support services Dr Ife Ofunne to coordinate the programme.

“I had requested that Dr Ofunne be placed in charge of running a nationwide medico-legal training programme,” she writes.

The minister says she had also requested a timeline and curriculum for the training, but had not received them.

“And in the meantime, medico-legal cases keep building up,” she says.