Over 600 Govt intern doctors await overtime payment a year after Labour Commission ruling

More than 600 government intern doctors are still waiting to be paid for overtime work a year after the Labour Commission recognised them as state employees.

The medical interns’ lawyer, Wilbard Kagola of Henry Shimutwikeni & Co Inc, says the Ministry of Health and Social Services has been avoiding communicating on the matter, and has not complied with the ruling.

“We have not received any response from the health ministry since the ruling, even though we sent the ministry and the government the judgement,” he says.

Kagola says the ministry has followed an unfair labour practice by failing to compensate the interns.

He says the law firm has taken measures to ensure the ministry complies with the ruling and compensates the group.

“We have started with the mandate to take action against the ministry, which we cannot reveal right now,” he says.
The interns say they won their case on 14 November 2023.

“Every other employee gets overtime for work they have done, but we work for more than 80 hours and do not get paid for the work we do,” they say.

The group also bemoaned a lack of health benefits, a housing and transport allowance, and their working conditions.
“When you are placed out of town, you have to make your own arrangements, buy food and get transport on N$2 500 a month,” one of the interns says.

A third-year medical intern based at the Swakopmund State Hospital says: “We have to take patients to Windhoek, but we are not covered. What if something happens to us?”

Another intern, based at Windhoek Central Hospital, says they cannot report being sexually harassed as they face the risk of being failed.

“When we try to speak up, we are blacklisted,” she says.

A third-year medical intern says she was failed despite doing well in certain departments.

“The intensive care department at Windhoek fails you if they do not like you, your attitude, or even your hairstyle,” she says.

Minister of health and social services Kalumbi Shangula says the matter is a human resource issue and referred The Namibian to its human resources department.